Tomorrow Will be Better
by Lekta
Summary: After a tragedy occurs Tommy is forced to move to a new town and find all new Rangers. Meanwhile Zedd's seems to have a personal vendetta against the White Ranger and seeks to break him. Will Tommy and the new Rangers save the day? Or will they fail? R&R
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes: My first Power Rangers story and my newest mammoth. I'm really excited for this fic since I wrote the prologue a year ago and have been continually writing it throughout the year, including writing at least 35% of it while on vacation. I can't stress how much this fanfiction is an AU. That means I won't be following canon that closely such as events in the show or any number of things. However, this story will be Jason/Kat and Tommy/Kim. I'm not sure about anything else at the moment. So please give it a chance and let me know what you think of it in a review. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Power Rangers. Any Ranger. If I did there would a purple and orange ranger. And most likely they would both be played by Jason David Frank.**

Prologue:

Tommy's sneakers squished wetly as he stood in the damp grass. The sky was shining and bright blue leaving no evidence of the storm that had poured from the clouds, drenching the city in a torrent of rain just minutes before. The flowers in the vases were covered with the barest sheen of drops and yet they still decayed and were beginning to turn a horrid brown. The graves however were unmarred by the storm, already dried in the sun's heat and warmth. The bottom of his jeans was growing damp with every second he stood but it was far from his mind. Instead, the young man of seventeen was concentrated on the carved names that decorated the three headstones.

Each headstone looked identical, despite them being bought by three different families, as if matching the camaraderie that the three people had developed. The three headstones were as inseparable in death as the three friends had been in life. Sometimes, Tommy felt like an outsider whenever he would notice how at-ease they were with each other. For Tommy, who had spent most of his life being shuffled from foster home to foster home before finally getting adopted, friends that were that in sync was like rain in a drought.

Tommy laid the small bouquet of yellow tulips in front of the gravestone farthest to the left, taking a while to remember the vibrant girl in yellow who was as quick as to hug him as she was to hit him for being an idiot. His fingers traced over the roman-style letters, moving over the A and on until he hit the last letter. Trying to memorize the feel of every word, mouthing along as if trying to commit it to memory, as if he would forget.

Somehow flowers felt inappropriate for the headstone in the centre. Oh sure, Tommy could've given a bouquet of red roses as a joke, remembering all the times others would comment on the strange relationship between him and the funny boy in red. But he knew that a trinket would be appreciated more. Pulling the red whoopee cushion out of his back pocket, running his hands over the synthetic material and remembering running away from teachers and students alike, head thrown back in glee as the prank was accomplished; Rocky would appreciate the sentiment. Tommy dug a little hole for his prize and buried it like treasure for his friend.

The last headstone was decorated with vibrant orange and yellow lanterns. Tommy could see the wasted wick of the little tea lights and knew he wasn't the only visitor at the grave. The boy dressed in black had been a friend to all despite his quiet nature. He seemed to gravitate to anyone, always ready to listen and to help those in need. Tommy slipped a piece of worn white paper out of his jacket pocket and laid it against the grey stone. The contents of the paper were as mysterious as the boy had been in life. Tommy had found a haven in the quiet boy who was quick to ground his sometimes volatile temper with a smile on his lips as if he found the whole thing amusing.

Finally done with his task, Tommy sat back on his heels, head slightly bowed in deference or in sadness. The smell of wet grass hit his nose at the same time that the song beat down on his back and drenching it in sweat. His hair was tied back at the nape of his neck and he let out a slow breath through his mouth.

Tommy would have said something; anything to break the silence of the graveyard and the early morning that was just beginning the day. But his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, his mouth was both too wet and too dry and the words would not be pushed through the barrier that his teeth created. Instead, his eyes traced over every notch and nick in the gravestones, trying to commit every detail to memory so he would be able to recall them later. He didn't know when he would be back to visit the final resting places of his friends, _his family_ and it was difficult to say goodbye.

A horn honked in the distance and Tommy squeezed his watering eyes shut, instantly drying them and leaving no evidence of the turmoil in the young man. Tommy touched his fingers to the tops of each of the headstones and pushed himself to his feet, walking down the gravel pathway and to the perfect road where his uncle's green jeep was waiting. Tommy opened the passenger side of the door and slid into the worn leather seat. He could feel his uncle's probing gaze on him but ignored it in favour of putting on his seatbelt and then focussing on staring out the windshield.

"You okay?" John asked his nephew.

Tommy nodded, "yeah. Let's go."

John waited a few moments as if waiting for Tommy to protest but the long-haired young man just squeezed his hands into fists as they rested on his knees; the only sign of his tension since his face was passive. Finally, they made their way out of the cemetery, through the gilded gates and the welcome sign that seemed almost too cheerful.

"You'll like Angel Grove." John said to fill the silence, glancing at his passenger who gave a minute shrug; like he couldn't be bothered to actually respond with any actual feeling.

"I guess."

"We got a pretty big house, its waterfront. Your room's also bigger than the one we had in Stone Canyon. You can even walk to school instead of taking the bus." John continued to chatter. Tommy's head rested against the glass.

"Tommy," John sighed. "I know it's been a hard couple of months but consider this a new start. A _fresh _start and I want you to make the most of it. I'll be gone sometimes but... if you need anything, if you're having problems keeping up in school, or you just need to talk, you can call me anytime. Okay?"

"Yeah," Tommy nodded.

"Good," John gave his nephew a reassuring pat on his knee before turning his attention back to the road.


	2. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: Chapter 1. Longer than the last. From now on the chapters will be getting progressively longer. I'm still writing the story but I have at least 13 chapters already done on my computer. Second chapter will probably show up next Tuesday because I start school on the Wednesday. First appearance of Zordon and Alpha. Tried to get the voices right. Anyone have any pointers/concerns/questions? Feel free to let me know in a review. Thanks for reading!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Power Rangers. At all. Not even a little bit.

**Chapter 1:**

Tommy dropped the last box down on the ground, swearing when it landed on his foot. He groaned, dropping to the ground to open the box and pulled out a large encyclopaedia. _Figures_, he thought to himself wryly. '_Of course, I'd carry the wrong box all the way up to my room.'_ Tommy pushed the heavy box out of the way, hiding it underneath the desk. He glanced around at the rest of the room. The bed was a double and two bare pillows were resting on top of the mattress. There was a small bedside table and a matching dresser. Tommy went over to the other door in his room and opened it. It was a small bathroom with a sink, toilet and a shower.

He was a little confused that his uncle had bought such a big house for just the two of them. Yeah, it was only two bedrooms but the living room could hold two couches and an armchair with room to spare, the dining room had its own bar and could seat twelve. The kitchen took up the most room even though there wasn't a breakfast nook; just a floating counter in the centre and the backyard looked out over the water. Tommy had already been scolded by his uncle and warned not to try diving off the rocks in the back and into the cold water. His uncle was never amused at his adrenaline junkie stunts.

It was a nice house. Tommy couldn't deny it and he didn't have many memories of any of his foster parents' houses. In Stone Canyon, Tommy and Uncle John lived in a condo downtown. It was stylish and ultra-modern but not exactly made for kids. The winding staircase was the cause of many a heart attack for John and lots of bruises for Tommy.

_This should be fun_, Tommy groaned as he stared at the piles of boxes. Who knew he had so much stuff? He brushed his hands on his pants and tackled the box labelled _Tommy's Sheets 'n Things_. He began to pull out the green sheets, hands gripping them tightly in his hands as he stared down at the colour. Of course, John had taken him sheet shopping while he had been the Evil Green Ranger, at least he had only been under Rita's spell for a week. He had gotten off lightly compared to the next ranger after him.

Tommy felt revulsion for the colour and tossed the sheets to the side, finding a brand-new package of plain white sheets in the box. Tommy felt a wave of relief roll over him as he saw _his_ colour. White was always his colour; there were no White Power Rangers originally. The power, according to Zordon was too unstable for anyone to use for a long period of time but with Alpha's help, they had adapted the white tiger power coin for Tommy and then Ninjor had welcomed him with the white falcon power coin. White always felt right to Tommy; like slipping into his favourite sweats.

He noticed that the rest of the rangers had felt the same kind of connection to their own colours. He remembered one of Rocky's hare-brained schemes that involved swapping their colours on a dare and Justin had playfully called it 'The Worst Day of Our Lives, or Why Kat should not wear Yellow'. It had ended with Kat nearly coming to blows with half the girls' volleyball team and for Rocky to have a strange encounter with a mop. Of course, that was in-between Adam proclaiming loudly that he was going to jump off the roof and caused Aisha to cut a chunk out of Tommy's hair. Tommy was perfectly _okay_ wearing red. It felt odd but somehow kinda right. And he also did _not_ burst into tears when Aisha came at him with a pair of scissors. And the pang he felt when he remembered his friends _didn't_ make his eyes water.

Luckily, he was saved from any further denial by the electronic beeping of his communicator. Tommy pulled his sleeve back, uncovering the silver circle on his wrist.

"Go ahead, Zordon." He spoke calmly into his communicator.

"TOMMY, ALPHA AND I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK WITH YOU RIGHT AWAY." Zordon's voice boomed from the other end.

"On my way," Tommy promised. As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt the tingling in his body like pins and needles and the sensation of his stomach leaping up into his throat. When he opened his eyes he was staring in the cavernous main chamber of the Command Centre. Or what was left of it. Tommy swallowed against the nausea; still not used to the feeling of teleporting even after two years and looked around. The lair was in disarray from the destruction of their last battle. He could see wires and pieces pouring out of the console and the flickering of the overhead lights. It made the room look much eerier and Tommy forced himself to look up at Zordon who greeted him calmly.

"HELLO, TOMMY." The Eltarian boomed.

"Ayi ayi, it's good to see you, Tommy." Alpha said energetically, coming over to greet the teen. Tommy smiled and patted the red robot on the shoulder.

"It's good to see you, too. The place's looking better." Tommy commented, walking into the centre of the room.

"YES, REPAIRS ARE COMING ALONG EXCELLENTLY. APLHA HAS GOTTEN THE TELEPORTATION GRID BACK ONLINE, AS WELL AS THE VIEWING GLOBE." Zordon spoke just as the lights went off, casting them into darkness. Tommy didn't even have a second to panic, remembering the last time that had happened, before they were back on. Alpha was running from console to console, talking to himself and apologising to Zordon.

"IT IS ALRIGHT, ALPHA. WE STILL HAVE MUCH WORK TO DO." Zordon reassured the robot.

"Is there-" Tommy cleared his throat, noticing he was suddenly under scrutiny by both occupants. "Is there anything I can do?"

"THERE IS SOMETHING I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS WITH YOU." Zordon said.

"Okay, shoot." Tommy said, confused.

"IT IS IN YOUR BEST INTEREST, TOMMY THAT I PROPOSE THIS SOLUTION. ALPHA AND I WANT TO RESURRECT THE POWER RANGERS."

Tommy felt his heart clench painfully and had to clear his suddenly dry throat. He ran quivering fingers through his hair before snapping them back to his sides.

"You told me," Tommy licked his lips. "You told me there was no way to bring them back, that the power doesn't work that way."

"YOU MISUNDERSTAND ME, TOMMY," Zordon said after exchanging glances with Alpha. "WE CANNOT BRING THE DEAD BACK TO LIFE, NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE WISH IT."

"Then, how-" Tommy paused, feeling confused.

"WE WOULD LIKE TO CALL UPON NEW RANGERS."

"You mean- you want to call new people to be the Power Rangers?" Tommy couldn't keep the hysteria out of his voice, the iron grip around his heart clenched painfully, strangling him.

"TOMMY, ZEDD'S FORCES ARE GETTING STRONGER." Zordon said, almost sounding like he was sighing.

"I can handle it," Tommy said automatically.

"YOU CANNOT FIGHT THEM ALL ON YOUR OWN. IT REQUIRES SIX RANGERS TO PILOT THE MEGAZORD."

"You can't just replace them. Kat and Justin-" Tommy pleaded.

"IT IS UNLIKELY THAT THEY WILL EVER BECOME RANGERS AGAIN." Zordon's voice, usually so emotionless now sounding almost sympathetic to Tommy.

The teen shook his head in denial. "I can fight Zedd and Rita. I know I can."

"TOMMY-"

"No!" He shouted, clenching his fists. "You can't just replace them! They were my friends; they can't just be wiped away by some new people!"

"Tommy," Alpha spoke gently. "We are not suggesting replacing Rocky, Adam, Aisha and Kat, or even young Justin. But Zedd is too powerful for you to deal with on your own. Please-"

"No," Tommy said forcefully. "I can handle it. I'll stop Zedd. I'll make sure he can't hurt anyone again."

With a final angry glare, Tommy teleported out of the chamber leaving behind a worried robot and mentor.

"Ayi ayi, Zordon. What can we do?" Alpha said.

"TOMMY IS NOT YET READY TO LET GO OF HIS FRIENDS. IT IS NOT UNTIL HE HAS NO CHOICE THAT HE WILL ACCEPT THAT HE NEEDS HELP. UNTIL THEN, WE MUST WAIT FOR HIM TO DISCOVER THAT HE CANNOT DO EVERYTHING ALONE."

"Poor, Tommy." Alpha shook his head. Zordon nodded and watched with impassive eyes as the robot returned to repairing their home.


	3. Chapter 2

_Author's Notes: Second chapter! Thanks for all the amazing reviews and I'm glad you all like the story!_

_DISCLAIMER: I possess not the Power Rangers._

**Chapter 2:**

Tommy took a breath as his hands moved gracefully outwards, pushing out and then pulling them back in, feet planted firmly apart. He shifted his left foot forward slightly, pushed his body back and lifted his left leg up and then laying it down not far away. The youth moved his feet until they were shoulders width apart and bent low to the ground, hands extended out in front of him. The afternoon sun beat down on his back, sweat trickling down his face and causing strands of his hair that fallen out of the ponytail to cling to his neck and face. The park was full of people taking advantage of the good weather that California offered- some were jogging, power walking, having picnics, feeding the ducks or playing in the playground. He could hear the shrieks of children laughing as well as the hum of happy chatter as they walked past him. The stance forced him to concentrate on his own self, straining his still not fully recovered body and irritating his right knee. Still, he pushed himself with the mindless determination of someone who clearly didn't want to entertain certain thoughts. He could feel the quiver in his thighs and the slight shaking of his legs as he forced himself to stay perfectly still, shifting slightly.

Three weeks before, he would have been able to hold the stance for fifteen minutes before his muscles would start shaking. Rocky and Adam used to have competitions when they were younger and taking martial arts together and Tommy had joined in on the friendly matches when they were older. Rocky was always the first to go, he would be jumping on the balls of his feet, back and hands twitching like they had been shoved into an electrical socket. Aisha used to call him the 'Energizer Bunny'. Kat and Aisha would be laughing on the sidelines, handing Rocky his third place prize- an ice cream cone while Tommy and Adam went head to head. Tommy's single-minded competitive streak (or his bull-headedness) pushed his body until he usually collapsed, worn out. Kat and Aisha would help him to his feet- somehow concealing from Justin that his hero was anything but perfect and he would guzzle down two bottles of water as he watched Adam uncoil from the position, sleek as a cat as he stretched his back, a small smile playing across his lips as he went over to his friends. Rocky would playfully _ribbit_ when Adam would walk by- happily consuming his ice cream with _sprinkles_- Adam would drop his ice cream on Rocky's head and the rest of the afternoon was spent discovering who could douse the most people with water _(Rocky always won_).

'_A lot can happen in three weeks'_ Tommy forcefully reminded himself; angrily pushing the thoughts away as he finally stepped out of the punishing position, ignoring the quivering in his legs and arms. Tommy slid into the familiar kata, hands and feet slipping into the holds and positions with unconscious ease as Tommy slipped into his own tremulous thoughts.

Zordon wanted to replace the Rangers. He wanted to replace Tommy's team as if the position could just be filled by anybody. As if their sacrifice to protect the Earth meant absolutely nothing, as if their lives meant nothing- just empty spaces capable of being filled in by someone else. Another Red, another Black, Blue, Pink and Yellow filling the blank spots. The Power Coins were destroyed in the final battle with Zedd. Well, it was supposed to be the final battle. The Rangers had prepared for it, when they accepted the power; they didn't know they weren't immortal- believing that the power made them somehow _better_ than before. It had taken the Green Ranger to show them that they bled when they were cut just like everyone else. They could take more hits but the enemies could hit hard enough to kill. Tommy wasn't proud about that part of his life. He held the guilt of every bruise, scrape and hit that he gave the Rangers on top of his shoulders. He had been ready to give up the coin for good- believing that he could never make amends, unable to sleep because of nightmares that made him careless in battle. Adam had been the one to stay over during the night to reassure Tommy that everyone was still alive. Kat brought extra food with her at lunch to remind the guilt-ridden youth to eat. Aisha had hugged him when she caught him sobbing in the music room (remembering the screams of the students as he attacked the school). It was Rocky who had reminded him how to laugh by dropping more than a few cheese balloons on his head and it was Justin who taught Tommy how to move away from the guilt by giving him the determination to be better for the star-struck youngster.

Tommy changed his guilt into a single-minded determination to lead his team of Rangers as the new White Ranger, resolving to protect his friends as they protected the world. He reminded himself of his promised to keep them safe, guilt and self-recrimination filling his occupied mind.

_Tommy sat on the back porch of the cabin, head tilted up to look at the stars. They twinkled in the summer sky, filling it up like a blanket over the world. In Stone Canyon the stars could be seen for miles, bathing the quiet mountain town in the glow. Standing on the edge of his uncle's property, peering down into the plunging darkness filled Tommy with the desire to spread his wings and fly, reaching out to touch the stars that remained so close yet out of reach. The breeze cooled down his sweaty and tanned face as the sounds of the party drummed behind him. There was a moment where the music swelled, almost booming in the silence before the door closed; subduing the sound and the shuffle of yellow socked feet replaced it. Tommy glanced at Aisha as she sat down on the step beside him. Her hair was pulled back with a yellow scarf, for once free of the braids she habitually wore- letting the tight curls fall down the back of her sweatshirt._

_ "Brooding again?" She asked a smile on her lips._

_ "I don't brood that much," Tommy protested. Aisha raised an eyebrow and Tommy lost his indignation, choosing to go back to looking at the stars._

_ "We're kind of having a party in there. Just thought you should know," she said playfully, nudging him in the side with her elbow. _

_ "I know, I'll come inside in a minute," Tommy said. Aisha glanced up at the sky._

_ "I never knew there were so many stars," she admitted softly. Tommy agreed with a nod._

_ "It makes you feel really small," she continued._

_ "Uh oh, cliché alert," Tommy teased, grinning at her. She pushed him with her shoulder. _

_ "Be nice or I'll sick Rocky on you," she threatened. Tommy rolled his eyes._

_ "Is he still on his sugar high?" He asked, wincing a little at the memory of Rocky wearing a lampshade on his head and attempting to hula dance._

_ "He should crash any minute now, so any rousing speeches preparing us for war tomorrow should probably be said pretty soon," Aisha shrugged, giving Tommy a meaningful look._

_ "I don't really have any," Tommy admitted. "Other than 'try not to die'"_

_ "That's almost as good as 'hit with the pointy end'. Come on, that's all you've got?" Aisha teased. Tommy looked back up at the stars, letting the silence be his reply._

_ "You're worried about tomorrow," Aisha said, dropping all pretence of humour._

_ "It's a showdown between us and Zedd. Everything that happens tomorrow affects the lives of everyone we know, everyone in the world. If we lose the Earth is going to be destroyed, everyone we know will die and we're just a bunch of teenagers in tights," Tommy answered, a bit angrily._

_ "Not exactly the St. Crispin's Day Speech," Aisha commented dryly. "We're gonna win tomorrow, Tommy."_

_ "And how do you know?" _

_ "Because I'm the smart one."_

_ "I thought that was Justin," Tommy replied. _

_ "Please, Wonder Boy's got nothing on me," Aisha snorted, turning serious as she grabbed Tommy's face, turning it towards her. "I know we're gonna win because we're together. Nothing can stop us, not when we fight as one. Not Zedd, not Rita or any of their ridiculous monsters."_

_ "Aren't you scared?" Tommy wondered._

_ "Sure," Aisha agreed, "but it's not gonna stop me. If I spend all my time worrying about tomorrow then we really will get our butts whooped. So, enjoy the party while it lasts and have some fun."_

_ "I'm not sure that I can," Tommy admitted. Aisha shook her head, with a fond but exasperated smile as she got to her feet._

_ "Come on, Fearless Leader," Aisha said, holding out her hand as she stood before the wooden door, bathed in the glow of the inside light from the windows. "Your friends are waiting."_

_ -"Tommy! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"-_

"AHHHHHHH!"

Tommy was yanked out of the memory, feet slipping on the grass as he heard the screams of people. He watched with wide eyes as a group of Putties surrounded a girl dressed in pink shorts and a white tank top. His feet pounded on the grass as he launched a flying kick at the grey thing's back, causing it to fall into two others. They all turned to him as one, cocking their heads to the side creepily as they attacked.

_Damnit_, Tommy swore. _There's too many of them to deal with by myself._

"Kyah!" Tommy yelled, flipping over one putty's shoulder to knock another one to the ground, clearing some space so he could get to the girl.

"I'll hold them off while you get out of here," Tommy said once he reached her side, drop kicking another putty who was reaching towards him.

"Nuh uh, pal I don't need some guy with his caveman-macho routine to save me," the girl snapped at him. Tommy's mouth fell open in shock.

"That's not what I meant- I'm a trained fighter. I know how to deal with these things," Tommy responded, tossing a putty who had snuck up behind him over his shoulder and hitting it on the Z on its chest. It quivered a bit, its skin shivering like liquid before it reformed and rolled out of the way of Tommy's next hit.

_Damnit. That's new. Usually one hit on the Z and they're done for. Did they get stronger? How the hell did that happen? _Tommy swore, glancing over his shoulder to see the pink-clad girl dance out of the way and knocking two putties heads together.

"Don't these guys ever give up?" the girl called out, huffing a bit.

"You hit the Z and they're supposed to disappear," Tommy shouted back, watching as she back-flipped out of the way and knocked a putty to the ground. He double-punched the putty in front of him, taking a hit in the side from another, Tommy gritted his teeth against the burning pain in his side and jumped back into the fray, hands and feet blurring as he spun and hit whatever grey thing happened to be in his way.

"I can handle this. Go get help," Tommy shouted_. I can't transform until you leave_. He bit back angrily.

"No way. I'm not leaving you to deal with this alone," the girl snapped at him, taking a hit to her knee that knocked her down for a bit. Tommy came over, punching the putties swarming around her and helping her to her feet.

"You should seriously leave," Tommy said to her. She pulled away from him with a determined glare.

"I'm not leaving," she said.

"You're going to get killed!" Tommy yelled.

"KIM!" A chorus of voices shouted. Four people came running over dressed in shorts and t-shirts for the warm weather.

"Guys!" The girl shouted back. "Looks like we've got some back up," she said to Tommy who watched as the four newcomers immediately engaged in the fight with fists and feet pounding into the putties. The girl gave him a smile before she leaped in to help a blonde boy who was dodging attacks from three different putties.

"I'll go get help!" Tommy shouted to them, breaking through the ranks of putties and dashing behind a tree.

_Please be alive when I get back. Please. _Tommy pleaded in his mind as he gripped his morpher tightly within his hands.

"White Ranger Power! Ninjetti Falcon, ha!" Tommy shouted, running through the movements as he was enveloped by a bright white light, seconds later the White Ranger stepped out, pulling his dagger immediately out of its' sheath and running into the battle.

"Hey, uglies!" He called, stopping a putty from putting his fist in the stomach of an Asian girl. The putties all turned towards the newcomer, buzzing around like retarded pigeons before attacking him at once. The White Ranger went on the attack, double-kicking a putty hard enough to knock its head back and launching his dagger into the Z on its' chest. He watched satisfied as it burst into thousands of grey globs that melted in the ground. The other putties cooed in panic as the White Ranger turned to them, flipping his dagger around.

_Now, that's more like it_. He thought, smirking.

With his dagger firmly in hand, the White Ranger quickly disposed of the other putties until the park was quiet once again. He turned to the five helpers, keeping his dagger at his side. He saw the dark-haired teen that was easily the tallest of the group helping the Asian girl to her feet; she seemed to be favouring her left ankle. The pink girl called Kim was talking excitedly with an African-American boy who was jumping around excitedly as if recreating the moves from the fight while the blonde boy stared quietly around, eyes catching the White Ranger's and drawing the rest of the group's attention.

"You guys alright?" he asked them once he had their full attention.

"Yeah. Haven't seen putties like that around here, though," the dark-haired boy said, coming over to the Ranger with his hand outstretched. "We would've been in real trouble if you hadn't shown up."

"Kids like you shouldn't jump into battles like that," the White Ranger responded, a bit coldly.

"Hey, we helped you," the African-American boy shouted angrily.

"No, you just got in my way."

"Hey, what's with the attitude?" the boy demanded.

"Let it go, Zack," the dark-haired boy put his hand on his friend's shoulder which seemed to calm the boy's temper.

"What are putties doing in Angel Grove?" the Asian girl asked. The White Ranger glanced over at her, shaking his head lightly.

"I don't know," he replied.

"Did they follow you here?" Kim asked, staring up at him.

"I don't know," the White Ranger replied, clenching his hands into fists, normally earning a squawk of protest from his guardian but Saba was silent, something that he was quickly becoming used to but still hated.

_Damnit, could really use your help, Sabs. It's been three weeks since I told you to leave me alone but are you really still mad at me?_

"You're gonna need some help to fight those guys, they were really strong," Kim said.

"I don't need anyone's help. I can fight them on my own," the White Ranger replied, dismissively.

"Hey, if you hadn't been late maybe we wouldn't have to fight your battles!" Zack snapped at him. The White Ranger ignored the sharp pain in his chest at the accusation and nodded.

"Next time you won't need to," he promised, turning away from the group and jumping into the dense foliage surrounding the park. He continued to move away from them until he found a secluded spot to de-transform in. Another flash of light and the White Ranger was replaced with Tommy Oliver, who listed to the side, hands coming up to hold sore ribs. He needed to get home and wrap them up before his uncle noticed and gave him another lecture on getting into fights. Tommy staggered out of the bushes and over to the park bench, sitting down.

"Hey!" Kim shouted, coming over. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Tommy nodded. "I looked around for a policeman or something but everyone left."

"It's okay. One of the Power Rangers showed up," Kim assured him.

"You're not hurt, right?" He asked her, pretending not to already know the answer.

"Bumps and bruises. You're ribs okay?" She shrugged, sitting down beside him.

"Yeah- Ouch!" Tommy yelped when her hands jabbed him in the side as she pushed up his shirt.

"Are you always this forward with guys?" Tommy said, moving away from her. Kim huffed loudly although he could see a blush starting on her cheeks.

_Cute._

"Here," Kim said, handing him a bottle of ice. "Put that on them, it should help."

Tommy accepted the bottle with a nod of thanks and placed it gingerly on his side, the cold making him wince before spreading through, starting to numb the pain.

"I wasn't trying to be some caveman when I told you I'd take care of it," Tommy found himself blurting out in the silence.

"I know. Sorry for snapping at you," Kim ducked her head, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear.

"I'm Tommy, by the way." He said.

"Kimberly. You're new here, right?"

"Yeah, just moved here," Tommy nodded.

"Cool, from where?"

"Stone Canyon."

"Suppose it's a bit of a difference for you, coming from Stone Canyon to Angel Grove."

"Kind of. Weather's different and I'm used to rock climbing and dirt biking and I don't see any forests or mountains around," Tommy admitted.

"Well, there's still fun stuff to do and for rock climbing and mountain trails, kids usually go about an hour outside town for the outdoorsy stuff. The Youth Centre's where everyone hangs out in town- it's like part-gym, part-juice bar, and part-arcade. You should definitely check it out. I guess that means you'll be attending Angel Grove High, right?"

"Yeah," Tommy nodded. "I start Monday. So I got some time to figure out where everything is and get my books and stuff."

"Tommy," Kim told him seriously. "Tomorrow's Monday."

"No- wait, really?" Tommy blinked, letting out a groan. "I gotta go. I've got a million things to do." He stood up handing her back to water bottle.

"Thanks for the bottle," he said to Kim, rolling his shirt back down with a wince.

"No problem. I guess I'll see you tomorrow at school," Kim said. Tommy agreed, waving as he walked away, already going through the first day at a new school checklist, something that he was pretty familiar with. Kim watched him go and then ran back over to her friends, intent on enjoying the rest of her Sunday but unable to get the sombre boy out of her mind.


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: Can't seem to get these damn things to be uniform. I guess you'll just have to guess which combination of bold/italics I'll try next chapter. Alright, so this is the token new kid meets his future friends part of the story. I found this chapter really tedious to write but I tried to spice it up with Tommy angst and funny stories. You guys can tell me if I did good or not. Please review if you liked it, please give me any pointers and please enjoy!**

_DISCLAIMER: Power Rangers is not mine. I think the plot would be a little less repetitive if it were mine. Although, I still love it. So, I'm just a fan and I make no money from this endeavour. Thank you.  
><em>

Chapter Three:

_ School starts at 8:30. Why couldn't it start at 9 like a normal school? _Tommy thought darkly as he walked to school. The bus refused to stop at Tommy's house until he had been officially registered in their database which would take a week and Uncle John was leery of Tommy getting behind the wheel of anything after his last stunt which involved him nearly careening off the side of the mountain. Tommy couldn't exactly tell his uncle that the reason he was being so reckless was because he was being chased by one of Zedd and Rita's new monsters. So, he was stuck walking to school which Tommy had discovered was about half an hour's distance involving walking down the hill where his house was on and through dozens of private neighbourhoods.

_Coffee._ _Tommy need coffee. Too bad the coffee maker's still packed away and I had to make do with the black sludge that Uncle John calls tea._ Tommy thought blearily to himself as he hid a large yawn behind his hand. He adjusted the backpack hanging off his shoulder as he walked, blinking in the early morning sun.

Sunglasses and his Walkman were on the agenda for tomorrow, Tommy decided, as he shielded his eyes from the sun. He waited for the light to turn green, hitting the corner just as a piece of paper rolled down the street. Tommy leaned down to pick it up and put it in the trashcan when the word 'power rangers' drew his attention. Tommy carefully unfolded the paper to see a picture of the Six Power Rangers posing dramatically underneath a headline that made him read on:

_Rangers Reappear Just as Monsters Move From Stone Canyon to Angel Grove_

_ Three weeks ago, a tragedy occurred that changed the lives of every citizen in Stone Canyon. Lord Zedd sent down dozens of his monsters along with his generals- a golden ape with wings and a bug lady- to make Stone Canyon his newest conquest. He was confronted by six familiar faces, the Power Rangers who stood against him to protect the people of the city. Unfortunately, during the long battle the Rangers were severely injured with three of them losing their lives. That same day another event occurred and the identities of the Rangers were revealed._

_ Sixteen year old Aisha Campbell, Rocky DeSantos and Adam Park were revealed to be the Yellow, Red and Black Rangers, respectively after the brutal battle that cost them their lives when their Zords caught fire with them still inside. Witnesses report seeing the other Rangers but their identities have yet to be discovered._

_ "It was crazy," twenty-one year old Aiden Fields says about the incident. "The Rangers never lose. But they went down and didn't get back up. They defeated the monster and everyone was cheering but then…an ambulance went in and… I went to school with Adam's older brother. I can't even imagine how he must feel."_

_ The tragedy of the Rangers deaths were also the deaths of amazing teenagers who dedicated their lives to helping their community, both with and without the costume. Park was well-known for volunteering at the Peterson Home for the Elderly while DeSantos provided free martial arts lessons for the younger children. Campbell often volunteered at the local animal shelter. _

_ "Aisha was amazing. She came in on the weekends and after school to watch after the animals, even adopting some herself. I just can't believe that she's gone," her co-worker, Vivian Ross says, wiping a tear from her eye._

_ DeSantos' neighbour, Margarita Lopez had similar thoughts about the boy, saying, "Rocky… he such a good boy. He help me carry my bag. Used to find my cat when got lost. Made me laugh. So sad that he gone."_

_ However, it seems that the horrible battle just offered a temporary reprieve for the citizens of Angel Grove who reported being attacked by putties while enjoying the Sunday afternoon at the park. Several witnesses reported seeing the White Ranger show up to quickly dispose of the putties, having a brief conversation with a group of teenagers before disappearing. Is he scouting for replacements? There were no reports on seeing the Pink and Blue Rangers who seemed to have disappeared after the battle that took their teammates' lives. _

_ Is the arrival of putties in Angel Grove connected to the appearance of the lone White Ranger? Why were the Pink and Blue Rangers absent? What does the death of three of the Rangers mean for the Earth? Is this the end of the Power Rangers? _

_ Neither the Campbell, Park or DeSantos families were willing to comment. The teenagers at the park in Angel Grove were also unavailable._

Tommy scrunched up the paper in his hands, angrily, stomping across the street and dodging a honking car and its' angry driver when he realised that the light was red. He tossed it angrily in the trashcan, stomping the rest of the way down the street. Recruiting? Why the hell would he be recruiting at a park with a bunch of kids? Although, there were a few putties seen around Angel Grove, they usually focussed on Stone Canyon and now there were groups of them appearing. Maybe they had followed him here? At least they weren't going after the remaining Rangers. He could deal with the putties all on his own.

_Guess a little grace period was too much to ask for_ Tommy sighed, glancing up at the street signs to make certain he was going the right way. He had to worry about Ranger battles, a new school, dodging reporters searching for him to comment on the deaths of his friends and their identities as Rangers._ I'll take care of it though, _Tommy promised himself.

He always hated reading about the Rangers in the news. It made his skin crawl at the thought of people watching what he did. It didn't matter that the helmet protected his identity; Tommy and his friends knew it was him and that made all those gushing magazines about the White Ranger embarrassing. It was something that Rocky loved to tease him about, making kissy faces whenever they passed by a cut out of the White Ranger in one of the lockers at school. Adam hated it as much as Tommy but instead of getting angry or embarrassed, the Asian boy used to be resigned when Rocky would buy every single Power Rangers action figure and re-enact some of his favourite battles with Red being the one to save the day. Justin always joined in and Kat would blush at the attention the Pink Ranger received. It was Aisha who really took to the idea.

_"What's the surprise, 'Sha?" Rocky asked as they walked into the Juice Bar which was empty in the early Saturday morning. Tommy was yawning while slumped on the table while Kat attempted to have a conversation with the back of his head, an empty glass in front of her. _

_ "You'll see. There's Adam and Justin!" Aisha waved to the newcomers._

_ "Hey guys," Adam greeted. Justin was by his side, practically jumping up and down in excitement._

_ "What's the surprise?" The blue-clad boy demanded._

_ "I see you've been taking patience lessons from Rocky, "Adam remarked dryly. Rocky pouted but quickly started up a chant of 'Surprise! Surprise!' which Justin quickly copied, even adding a little bounce and jig to make it a dance. Aisha ignored them both and went over to the table, trusting them to follow her._

_ "Late night again, Tommy?" Aisha asked, dropping down beside the white-clad boy. He lifted his head, blinking at her._

_ "Morning. Aisha. Coffee," Tommy grunted out. _

_ "Yes it is morning, Tommy and people traditionally do drink coffee in the morning," Aisha said, patting him on the shoulder as a reward. He glared at her tiredly. She gave him a smile and relented, pulling out a thermos of coffee from Kat's pink bag where she had stashed it. Tommy waited until she poured coffee in the lid before he pounced on it, guzzling it down._

_ "Feel better, now?" Kat asked, exchanging amused glances with Aisha over Tommy's head._

_ "Yes," Tommy proclaimed loudly, already feeling the pure caffeine hit his blood, giving him a burst of energy. "So, what's the surprise on this very early morning?" _

_ "Now that everyone's here," Aisha said, looking around at the assembled group (Adam had finally convinced Rocky and Justin to stop singing and to sit down at the table) and added, "and coherent. I guess I can show you guys what I've been working on this past week."_

_ With a flourish, they watched as she pulled a brown book out of her bag decorated around the borders with white, blue, pink, black, red and yellow ribbons and stars. She opened it up to the first page where she had stuck a black and white image of the Rangers posing before their final attack against one of Rita's monsters. There were headline cut-outs surrounding the edges of the page along with drawings of the Zords. Each page had a different article with the best parts cut out and decorated._

_ "What is it?" Justin asked as he stared at the pages as Aisha turned them._

_ "A Ranger scrapbook," Aisha said proudly. "I spent a long time picking bits from our best battles and even grabbed some souvenirs like a shard from that diamond guy."_

_ "The one made from the crystal chandelier?" Kat asked. "I hated that one."_

_ "But it was the first time Rocky managed to land that drop kick Tommy had been teaching him," Aisha reminded them. Rocky grinned proudly, puffing out his chest._

_ "There's also the paper lantern that went Adam go ballistic the first time he filled in for Tommy when Fearless caught strep throat," Aisha said, pointing out the slightly singed orange lantern which she had folded between the pages._

_ "It was really well done and I got tired of monsters destroying all the lanterns," Adam defended himself, looking away embarrassed._

_ "You beat him with a baseball bat," Rocky said causing Adam to flush red._

_ "I think it was the stress of trying to fill my shoes, personally," Tommy said with a teasing grin causing the rest of them to roll their eyes at him._

_ "Hey, that's the bit of Tommy's hair that Aisha cut!" Justin pointed out._

_ "Aisha," Tommy said, annoyed turning to the yellow jumper clad girl._

_ "What? It's a _Ranger_ Scrapbook. It's to remember the good things we've done and the sacrifices we've made for each other. You got to remember the good with the bad. Not everyone can be as perfect as you, Fearless Leader," Aisha teased. Tommy rolled his eyes but pulled the book closer so he could see it better. Aisha _had_ spent a lot of time on it, it was the least he could do. As he watched Justin happily point out the picture of the Blue Ranger accepting a teddy bear from a fan, Tommy exchanged smiles with Aisha. _

_I wish I still had that stupid scrapbook, _Tommy thought to himself as his heart clenched painfully which seemed to happen more and more lately. Tommy crossed the street again, seeing the school in the distance.

_Wonderful and I'm only_- Tommy glanced down at his watch. _20 minutes late. Awesome, Tommy. Great start._

Holding his bag, Tommy ran the rest of the way, pushing open the glass doors to find students talking in the hallways, their lockers open as they greeted friends and moaned about upcoming tests. Tommy looked around confused. _Why weren't they in class?_

"Hey, Tommy," Kim said, walking over to him. She was wearing a flowered dress with her hair pulled back by a headband.

"Kim," Tommy greeted. "Hey."

"You thought you were late, didn't you?" Kim teased him with a smile.

"How could you tell?" Tommy asked.

"That look on your face. It's the same as when I told you it was Sunday at the park."

"Oh, so you were staring at my face?" Tommy grinned smugly. Kim blushed and looked away.

"Anyways, the reason why everyone's still at their lockers is because we had a late start today. We start at 9:30, so you've got about ten minutes to grab your schedule and sign in at the office," Kim said, throwing her hair over her shoulder.

"Thanks," Tommy nodded. "I guess I'll see you later?"

"We can meet for lunch. It starts at 11:15. There's a table by the window in the cafeteria, alright?" Kim asked him.

"Sounds great," Tommy answered with a smile.

"Awesome. Do you need help finding your first class? I could wait around," Kim asked.

"I think I'm good," Tommy shook his head.

"Oh," Kim nodded. "Okay. Have a good first day then. See you at lunch."

"See you," Tommy waved goodbye as Kim walked away. He waited until she was all the way down the hall before going into the office to receive his schedule. Hopefully the rest of his first day would be as lucky.

Tommy stood at the front of the cafeteria, lunch tray clutched in his hands as he glanced around the room. It was the same grey as the rest of the school but it had large windows on three sides, letting in the light. Students filled up every available place and Tommy remained uncertain as he glanced around hoping to see Kim. He recognised a few people from his classes but not well-enough to go sit with them. He craned his neck, trying not to look too desperate, trying to find the table by the window where Kim was.

"Forget it," Tommy muttered to himself, moving to leave. He'd find somewhere else to eat lunch.

"Hey, where you going?" A familiar voice asked. Tommy blinked at seeing Kim standing in front of him.

"Sorry, I was late- helping Miss Applebee set up for the bake sale tomorrow." Kim apologised.

"No, that's okay. I was-" Tommy said, breaking off with a shrug. Kim smiled at him knowingly.

"Well, come on…there's a table saved for us," Kim told him, leading him over to the table by the window. Tommy blinked, recognising the same group from the park.

_Of course. They're Kim's friends. She was probably waiting for them at the park when she was attacked._ Tommy mentally slapped himself at his momentary lapse.

"Guys, this is Tommy." Kim said, taking the seat at the corner, gesturing for Tommy to take the one across.

"Hey," Tommy inclined his head.

"That's Billy," Kim said pointing to the blonde boy with glasses who was sitting on Tommy's other side, "the girl beside him is Trini."

"You're the guy from the park," Trini said in realization, giving him a kind smile. "Hope that little battle didn't scare you away from Angel Grove. Where are you from originally?"

"Stone Canyon," Tommy answered.

"Guess putty attacks are just everyday things for you then," the African-American boy sitting across from Trini said. "I'm Zack."

"Jason," the boy beside him said, holding out a hand for Tommy to shake. Tommy grabbed it, giving it a friendly pump. _I'm not the White Ranger here and these aren't upstart kids I can tell what to do. _Tommy reminded himself, unable to forget the nearly identical scene at the park.

"How's your first day going?" Trini asked, kindly.

"School's sort of the same no matter where you go," Tommy shrugged, picking at his macaroni and cheese.

"Have a lot of experience with schools?" Zack wondered with a smirk.

"I've been to eight new schools in the last nine years. I'd say I have a bit of experience," Tommy answered.

"Wow," Kim said, "that's a lot of first days. I could barely get through it the first time."

"Yeah, she tripped over her high heels and got sent to detention," Zack explained, laughing. Kim glared at him.

"Shut up," she hissed.

"Ow!" Zack yelped, pouting at Kim. "That _hurt_, Kimberly."

"Come on, Kim. Now I have to hear this story." Tommy teased, "Exactly how did you get detention?"

"It's not like I did anything bad." Kim muttered, blushing, "My mom bought me a pair of heels for my Aunt's wedding and I wanted to show them off for my first day. And I was showing off for some of the older girls and I went careening into the vice principal. But the reason I got detention was that I didn't realise that you weren't allowed to wear make-up at school! At my old school, all the girls wore make-up when they turned eight."

"Its okay, Kim. I have that same problem," Zack said in mock sympathy. Kim glared at him darkly and he gave her a disarming smile.

"That still doesn't beat Billy's reason," Jason said, giving the blonde boy with glasses a wink.

"No way, Billy got detention?" Tommy asked, turning to the blonde boy. "I mean, I know I don't know you that well… but everyone in science class was talking about how quiet and nice you are. It just seems kinda odd that you'd get detention."

"Billy _is_ nice," Trini insisted.

"Yeah, he's just… hard to understand," Kim answered. Tommy furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Well, you see…Billy's _really_ smart, like genius level smart and it causes some problems like when he tries to tell the teacher that they're wrong," Zack explained.

"You are mistaken, Zack. I never suggested that the teacher was wrong but rather that the information they were giving was incorrect. The textbook that they were using for reference was inadequate because it had post-dated information regarding the properties needed to inform my fellow students. Unfortunately, my query was taken to be harsh criticism and the vice principal was called for proper disciplinary action," Billy corrected, quietly. "My observations and information was correct and the textbook was faulty."

"I got about half of that," Kim admitted, looking at Trini.

The Asian girl sighed, "He basically said that the textbook was wrong and he was just pointing it out. That's why he got detention because the teacher thought he had attitude when he was just trying to help. Anyways, Billy's dad was called and the kids started bullying Billy and-"

"That's when Trini got detention," Zack piped up.

"Yeah, some kids were making fun of Billy and I told them that if they said one more bad thing I was gonna show 'em what I learned in my Tae Kwon Do class." Trini said, somewhat proudly. "I don't really like using violence but Billy was my friend."

"Okay, so let me guess the next story involves Zack getting detention?" Tommy queried.

"Nope," Zack said with a big grin. "I never got detention."

"Yeah," Jason rolled his eyes. "The only reason Zack never got detention is because they never proved he was the one who changed the school anthem into a rap during the visiting Superintendent's assembly."

"I knew it!" Kim said, pointing an accusing finger at her friend who glared at Jason.

"You sold me out," Zack accused.

"Nuh uh," Jason disagreed. "I agreed not to tell the principal, friends and parents were not part of the pinky swear."

"And that's how Jason got detention," Trini said to Tommy.

"How?" Tommy wondered, finding himself getting into the stories.

"Zack attacked me," Jason said simply.

Tommy's mouth fell open in shock as Zack laughed out his denial, "I did not!"

"Okay," Jason amended. "He just freaked me out pretty bad about the whole keeping it a secret- kept talking about how I should expect it coming any minute now. It made me really paranoid and I started jumping at the slightest noise. I ended up dumping a can of red paint on the school founder's statue."

"How'd you get red paint?" Tommy wanted to know.

Jason shrugged, "I don't really remember that part."

"So, what about you? Any good detention stories?" Kim asked, putting his head in her heads and blinking up at Tommy with a smile.

Tommy thought about skipping school with his stoner friends, getting into fights with teachers who thought he was no good, arrested for breaking into private property and detention for smoking on school grounds. _Nah, don't want to scare them yet_, Tommy thought to himself, shaking his head.

"Nope. I can't think of any," he answered.

"Okay," Jason said. "But what about friends? I mean, you must've had friends in Stone Canyon? What are they like?"

"They're gone," Tommy said, looking down at his empty lunch tray.

"Oh," Kim intoned quietly. "I mean, you can still hang out with them on the weekends though, right?"

"Don't think so," Tommy shook his head.

"I mean, friends don't just disappear," Kim said a bit desperately, turning to exchange looks with her own friends.

"I got to find my next class," Tommy said, grabbing his bag and his tray, standing up from the table. He kept his eyes on the ground, only darting up for a minute to look at Kim's face.

"Tommy," she said reaching for him. "I didn't mean to make you upset."

"I'm not," Tommy denied. "I just need to find my next class or I'll get lost again. It's really kind of embarrassing."

"Okay," Kim nodded, dropping her hand into her lap. "But…will we see you at the Youth Centre after school?"

"I've still got a lot of unpacking to do," Tommy said evasively.

"We can give you a tour of Angel Grove," Jason spoke up. "There's not really a lot to see but still could be fun."

"I'll think about it," Tommy promised. "See you." He emptied his tray into the garbage and then walked out of the cafeteria.

"Wow," Zack's voice broke the silence. "Talk about some melodrama."

Chapter Five:

Kim was normally a pretty easygoing girl. She didn't freak out when she was bumped into in the hallways at Angel Grove High, she only freaked when her little brother listened in on _some_ of her phone conversations or went into her room to show off her underwear and she didn't really make a big deal when people were late, despite what Zack had told everyone (she did not start screaming like a banshee at him that one time he left her waiting for an _hour_ while he talked to Angela). But this was getting pretty annoying.

"Okay,Trini, just what are you staring at?" Kim demanded as her Trini turned back to stare at her guiltily.

"Sorry, Kim," Trini apologised, at least sounding a bit contrite. Kim sighed to herself '_An answer would be better than an apology. At least then I could stare with you.'_

"It's okay," Kim said instead, "Although, I do kinda want to know why my riveting tale about Shelley Martin's lipgloss in the girl's bathroom isn't holding your attention."

"I was just checking out the new guy," Trini admitted.

_'Tommy? Why was Trini checking out Tommy? Was Trini interested in Tommy?'_ Kim thought to herself, suspiciously as she looked over at her friend.

"Huh?" Trini said, turning her attention back to Kim. "Yeah. He's working out on the mat. His form's pretty good."

'_Oh God, Trini thinks Tommy's hot. I mean, he is hot even though he's got really long hair that you could probably run your fingers through, and the baggy clothes make him look a scruffy Judd Nelson devil-may-care-loner-sort of thing and-' _Kim's tore her thoughts away from Tommy's Judd Neslon-like qualities and chose a more sedate reply.

"Form?" Kim asked.

"His martial arts form, Kim," Trini said, amused as if she knew Kim's panicked thoughts.

"I knew that," Kim said, feeling a bit stupid. "I mean, I'm a gymnast. I can appreciate a good…form."

"I'm sure you can," Trini smiled knowingly.

"_Anyway_," Kim stressed, "Why are you watching him?"

"I'm actually watching Jason," Trini admitted. Kim's eyes widened and she perked up considerably in her chair.

_'Does Trini like Jason?'_ Kim thought, looking between her two friends slyly. '_They do both like martial arts and they're always challenging each other to competitions. Hmm…_'

"Oh, you're watching _Jason_," Kim said, slyly.

"Huh? Why are you saying his name like that?" Trini demanded, looking at Kim weirdly when her friend did nothing but smile.

"Nothing," Kim sing-songed.

Trini narrowed her eyes and said, "I'll find out eventually you know."

"Anyways, what were you saying about watching Jason?" Kim said, swiftly changing the subject.

"I'm watching Jason and Zack watch Tommy and pretend not to be impressed. That spinning high kick of- there! See it? Anyways, he always lands perfectly. I mean, that's a pretty difficult move and then he's got the jump and you can see Jason sizing him up and Zack's eyes keep getting wider. It's pretty funny," Trini admitted, pointing out the kick she was talking about as Tommy demonstrated on the mat, yelling out a 'hyaa!' every time he landed it.

"I see what you mean," Kim said, eyes straying over to the long-haired boy in the white gi. Trini nudged Kim in the ribs, causing her friend to blush as she was caught.

'_Oh God, I'm drooling!'_ Kim thought in embarrassment.

"He does seem to have a pretty endurance," a voice said matter-of-factly from behind the girls.

"Hi, Billy," Trini intoned. Billy gave her a small smile as he sat down at the table.

"What do you mean?" Kim asked, turning to her friend.

Billy re-adjusted his glasses, pushing them farther up on his nose. Finally he answered, "Well, he has been pursuing the same goal for 20 minutes, 28 seconds if I'm correct. Normally, someone in the same position would either fall into frustration, if the furrowing of his brow is any indication than he is becoming more agitated although, I'm uncertain as to why since he is showing remarkable athletic prowess, similar to Jason or Zack that is certainly garnering him an attentive and appreciative audience."

"Huh?" Kim asked, blinking.

"Tommy's frustrated even though he's landing the kick perfectly every time," Trini translated.

"Yes, precisely, Trini," Billy agreed.

"So, Tommy's frustrated but no one knows why?" Kim said, turning back to watch Tommy land the kick again, noticing the tension in his back. "Poor Tommy."

"I suppose you could see it that way," Trini said. "Oh, I think he's stopping."

Kim watched as Tommy landed the last kick, giving out a particularly frustrated yell before falling to his feet. He was breathing heavily, walking over to the bench, a bit stiffly and using the white towel to pat his face dry. There was a bottle of water lying on the ground which he quickly guzzled down. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, closing his eyes briefly as he sunk down onto the bench. Zack and Jason went over, patting him on the back in congratulations.

"It's like he's punishing himself," Kim said quietly.

"Yeah," Trini agreed. "But for what?"

Kim shrugged, '_I wish I knew_.'

"You talking about Tommy?" Ernie asked, taking a break from wiping down the counter. Kim swivelled around in her chair, to give him her full attention. She noticed that Trini and Billy looked as curious as she did.

"Yeah," Trini nodded. "You know him?"

"He helped me a few times clean up after closing. He likes using the mat to practice. It's always the same couple of routines and he always looks pretty defeated by the end." Ernie nodded.

"I guess he didn't need that tour after all," Kim said quietly, glancing over at the trio of boys who were still crowded around Tommy.

"Its okay, Kim. He probably was just busy," Trini said, patting her knee comfortingly. Kim nodded to herself. She knew she was still kind of upset that Tommy hadn't shown up more than a week ago after school on his first day. It wasn't like she had been waiting and the next day he had apologised for not showing up but still…

'_Exactly, why are you so alone?_' Kim wondered as she took in the slightly stooped posture of the long-haired boy.

"He's a good kid," Ernie continued with a smile. "Kinda quiet and he prefers to work out in the early mornings or late at night when there's not a lot of people around. He helps me set up and close up whenever I'm short-staffed. I've never seen him get into a fight although sometimes when he works out on the bag, he looks pretty angry."

"Mysterious," Trini muttered. "Quiet yet angry."

"Lonely," Kim added quietly. "He's lonely."

"Yeah, I suppose he kinda looks that way. But he's new, I'm sure he'll make friends in no time at all," Ernie smiled reassuringly. "Jordan already thinks he's a superstar."

"Jordon Reid, the genius thirteen year old in ninth grade?" Kim asked.

"Yeah, him," Ernie nodded. "Bulk and Skull were picking on Jordan and Tommy stepped in. I don't know what he said but Bulk and Skull backed off real quick. Tommy gave Jordon back his bag which Bulk had shoved in the boy's washroom and helped him clean up. Jordan's been his lab partner ever since and singing Tommy's praises to all the chess club guys."

"That's really nice of him," Trini commented.

"Defender of the weak," Kim said with a smile.

"It seems as if the members of chess club have transferred their worship onto Tommy as a pseudo-hero to defend them against the villainy of Bulk and Skull," Billy observed.

"You read too many comic books," Zack said, sitting down beside Billy. "All I know is that Jordan's really protective… won't let anyone near Tommy in the science classroom. It's like a puppy defending a Golden Retriever."

"Why a Golden Retriever?" Trini wondered.

Zack grinned, "Lots of hair, protective and kind of floppy-eared."

"Tommy does _not_ have floppy ears," Kim insisted. Zack grinned at her slyly, opening his mouth to no doubt say something that would get him kicked. However, Trini took pre-emptive action and clapped her hands over his mouth, giving him a deadly glare promising future pain. Zack swallowed heavily and wisely chose to keep silent.

"What are we talking about guys?" Jason said, dropping into the seat beside Trini and putting his hand around the back of her chair, nonchalantly.

'_Well, is that a blush I see on Trini's face?_' Kim said wonderingly as she stared at her two friends. Trini refused to look anywhere in Kim's direction and appeared to be having a conversation with Billy about a cat in a box.

"Tommy," Zack answered Jason.

"Hot topic of conversation?" Jason asked, taking a sip of Trini's drink which she doesn't protest to, much to Kim's delight.

"Kim seems to think so," Zack said slyly.

"I do not!" Kim denied, loudly feeling her face flush as everyone suddenly stared at her. She put her head in her hands as she saw Tommy stare at her oddly, causing her friends to laugh.

"Anyways, we're meeting here tomorrow, if you're interested. Tommy's not really comfortable sparring with me, I'm not sure why but he's cool with watching Zack and I spar. Watch me whip his butt and then Tommy can spar the winner," Jason said with a smirk at Zack who snorted.

"So, Tommy's going to be here? Tomorrow?" Kim asked, just to make certain. Jason stared at her oddly.

"Yeah," he nodded.

_'Well, I suppose I can push researching that history paper on Christopher Columbus to Friday'_ Kim thought to herself with a triumphant grin.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Six:

Tommy readjusted the towel around his neck as he stepped out of the showers at the Youth Centre. He had spent the last few days running through katas, teaching Jason and Zack some of his moves and he even tried learning some of Zack's hip-hop kido but dancing and Tommy didn't get along. Never had, never would. He had received the 'Most Likely to Injure Someone at the Prom' for his middle school yearbook (Rocky had been amused by that for _years,_ no matter how much Tommy threatened him). Still, it was better than going home to unpack boxes in the big empty house while Uncle John traveled around for the competition circuit. He promised that Tommy could join him in the summer but that was months away and he still had Zedd and Rita to worry about.

'_Almost forgot abou t the crazy space people demanding my blood_,' Tommy thought to himself as he searched in his bag for the granola bar he had stashed from lunch. His hands found wrappers from candy and nutrition bars. '_Should probably throw those out'_

"Aha! Gotcha!" Tommy said triumphantly, pulling out the silver prize out of his bag. When the opened his fist however, instead of the promised sustenance, his communicator laid in his palm, staring innocently up at him with his Tigerzord power coin. As he stared down at it, it beeped in his hand, startling the young man who jumped guiltily. Tommy shoved it back into his bag, looking around to make sure no one was around before running into the hallway with his bag in his arms. Once Tommy was safely hidden in an empty corner, he pulled out the communicator.

"I read you, Zordon," he spoke quietly into the device.

"TOMMY. ALPHA AND I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK WITH YOU IMMEDIATELY."

"About what?" Tommy asked closing his eyes as he already knew the answer.

"THE REVIVAL OF THE POWER RANGERS. THE RANGERS WERE NEVER MEANT TO FIGHT ALONE, EACH RANGER HAS THEIR OWN STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES TO BE OVERCOME. THEY NEED A TEAM TO FIGHT ALONGSIDE THEM."

"I can do it alone," Tommy said. "I won't sacrifice anyone else."

"TOMMY-"

"I have to go. I can't get away. I'm sorry," Tommy said hurriedly, pressing the button to cut off communication.

'_Oh. I just hung up on Zordon_.' Tommy thought to himself, staring down at the communicator in his hand. He had just hung up on his leader, a man he had sworn to obey as a Power Ranger.

_'Shit,_' Tommy cursed to himself. '_Maybe I can call back and say we got disconnected or something_'

"Tommy!" Jason called from the end of the hall. Zack was beside him, waving his arms maniacally. "I thought you were coming to check out Kim's presentation?"

"Yeah," Tommy said, waving a hand in dismissal. "Just a minute."

'_I got to call the alien mentor I just hung up on and who will probably be pretty pissed. Actually, I don't think I've ever seen Zordon mad, does he even get mad?_' Tommy thought to himself, thumb hovering over the button on the communicator. '_Stop stalling, Oliver!_'

"Kim's turn for judging is coming up soon!" Zack shouted with his hands cupped around his mouth even though Tommy could hear him perfectly fine without it.

"Okay," Tommy shouted back. "I'm coming."

_'Guess I'll just have to call Zordon later_,' Tommy sighed to himself, walking over to Jason and Zack.

"So what's this event about anyways?" Tommy asked.

"It's for Kim's business class. The students have to create a viable business including advertisement and calculate how much it'll cost to maintain and how much money they'll make. Whoever has the most profitable business wins a $100 gift certificate to the mall. Kim's pretty excited about it," Jason explained as they walked past the rows of presentations.

"She _would_ be excited," Zack snorted. "Kim could live at the mall."

"It has everything you need," Kim said haughtily. "Clothes, food, television, magazines and a bed to sleep in. Please, why would you ever want to leave?"

"Of course, honey," Trini said, patting Kim's shoulder in understanding.

"So what's your project about, Kim?" Tommy asked.

"Well, it's a fashion business that uses old clothes to make new clothes. Because they're recycled, the leftover material is used to make other things, like purses, quilts or blankets and you can sell the stuff for a fraction of the cost. Plus, I've devised a program that includes recycling plastics to make new things. My business plan offers the option of selling the products in department stores while maintaining its' own unique idea," Kim said, gesturing to her table where her business plan was carefully outlined, along with some scraps of material.

"That sounds really cool," Tommy told her.

She smiled at him, and said, "Thanks. I even made some things as samples. Like, this helmet- it's made from recycled plastic. Billy helped me melt it down and then use a cask to pour it in."

"It was actually quite simple. I merely used a machine I had manufactured during the summer I was sick with pneumonia. Father was quite distraught to find me working with various metals and wires," Billy said matter-of-factly.

"I had to hire him as a consultant though, which took a fraction of my budget," Kim admitted.

"I'm sure your teacher won't mind," Tommy assured her. "It's a really neat idea."

"I hope so," Kim gave him a nervous smile.

"You'll do great," Jason told her with a confident smile.

"And what do we have here Kimberly?" Mrs. Applebee said, coming over with a smile and three other judges, her trusty clipboard never far from her grip. As Kim explained her business plan to her teacher, Tommy wandered away to glance down at his communicator. It was disturbingly silent.

"What are you staring at?" Zack asked, trying to glance over Tommy's shoulder.

"Nothing, just my watch," Tommy said evasively, shoving his communicator into the pocket of his jeans.

"Funny looking watch," Zack commented.

Tommy laughed nervously, "Is Kim finished being judged?"

"Yeah, she got the second place ribbon," Zack said. "She's looking for you."

"That's fantastic!" Tommy said enthusiastically. "I'll just go congratulate her."

"Uh huh," Zack said. "You do that."

Tommy left behind Zack, feeling him stare at his back and went over to Kim. He saw the shiny blue ribbon hanging off the board where Kim's project was outlined. Trini, Jason and Billy were each offering their own congratulations, giving her hugs which an ecstatic Kim accepted.

"Second place, that's great, Kim!" Tommy said.

"Thanks!" Kim said, throwing her arms around his neck. Tommy stiffened at the hug and he couldn't respond, arms lying limply at his sides. Kim pulled away, flushing dark pink and glanced away.

"Kim, I-" Tommy said, unable to finish the sentence. What did he want to say anyways? Sorry, Kim but no one's hugged me like that in a long time and I have no idea how to respond? '_Yeah, I'm sure that'll go over real well, Oliver.'_ Tommy thought self-deprecatingly.

"What's that?" Zack said, suddenly, pointing. Tommy followed Zack's finger to find the blue ribbon from Kim's presentation, glowing a pale sickly green, its light enveloping the small area where the table was. The students and people around covered their eyes from the light, stepping backwards from the force as the light suddenly imploded, and scattering to the far reaches of the Youth Centre.

"Shit," Tommy cursed as his eyes grew wide. For standing where Kim's project had been was replaced with one of Rita and Zedd's monsters. It was tall, nearly reaching the ceiling and the same bright blue as the ribbon had been. Its arms were ribbons, rippling with an unearthly wind, bright blue electricity crackling along the edges. Its eyes were bright gold and there was a sash around its middle with the words 'Second Place Winner!' on it. It was probably one of the tamer of the monsters but it was still grotesque, ugly and bulbous with swollen arms and legs and a long cape that flew in the back, forked like the ends of the ribbon.

"I am Ribbonator! I will destroy _all_ who stand in the way of Lord Zedd's domination of Earth!" It proclaimed in a cheesy B-movie monster voice. It seemed to get the job done because the Youth Centre was suddenly filled with the terrified screams as everyone made a mad scramble for the exit. Tommy watched as the sharp crack of dozens of putties teleporting in, barring the doors from anyone getting out.

"We've got to get everyone out of the Youth Centre," Jason shouted to be heard over the screams.

"I'll take the two putties at the front door," Jason said to the others. "You guys each split up and take the rest. Tommy, see if you can break through one of the windows- Where'd Tommy go?" The other friends glanced around for a glimpse of the long-haired boy, not finding him in the sea of panicked people, each shoving and pushing each other.

"Tommy!" Kim shouted, knocking shoulders with one of the girls in her Buisness class.

Tommy ignored the shouts for him to 'come back' and took off running into the storage room behind _Ernie's Juice Bar_, locking the door shut behind him. The closet was small and dark with no windows but lots of shelves filled with cleaning supplies and other materials. It would be the perfect place to transform. He reached into his pocket for his morpher but his fingers found his communicator instead. Tommy looked down at it, considering, his grip tightening around it. There was no one to call. He was on his own.

"WHITE TIGER!" He shouted, running through the familiar movements as he morphed. His body being fused with energy as his helmet came on to protect his face and identity. He clenched his gloved hands into fists and unlocked the door, flying headfirst into the fight. He took out to putties who were terrorizing Bulk and Skull with a kick-punch combo that left them stunned on the ground as he pounded the 'Z' on their chest. He didn't even wait for them to dissolve before he was heading straight for the monster, dagger clenched in his hand.

"Alright, Ribbonator," White Ranger shouted dramatically. "You've interrupted your last school fair! I'm going to end you!"

"Oooh, I'm shaking in my boots, Mr. Power Ranger. Here's a little ribbon for you! HA!" The monster said, extending his arms and shooting out them.

'Ribbons? Is this guy serious?' White Ranger thought to himself as the ribbons wrapped tight around him, catching him by the ankle as he tried to dodge. 'Okay, ouch! Those are kinda tight and-'

"Ahhh!" The White Ranger yelled in pain as bolts of electricity burned through him where the ribbons touched. He fell back, the ribbons slithering away like snakes as he slashed at them with Saba. His suit was smoking and he stepped back.

'_Okay, being cocky never got me anywhere'_ He thought to himself as a putty reached for him only to be thwarted by Kim jumping on its' back. '_And I forgot about all the people. Damnit, I need a plan._'

"Too much for you, Ranger? Maybe you should give up?" The Ribbonator laughed, ribbons slithering back and forth like sentient beings.

"I'll never give up," White Ranger proclaimed loudly.

"Then enjoy this aftershock!"

'Damnit, that was close,' the lone Ranger thought as he dodged the ribbons trying to latch onto any part of him. He held up Saba, slashing at the monster's ribbon-arms, stepping back in surprise as they lashed out again and again.

"This guy just doesn't know when to quit," White Ranger said to himself. "I need to distract him so I can get rid of the putties and get all the people out."

"We can deal with the putties," a voice said from near White Ranger's left. He glanced down in surprise to see Kim and Jason crouched down low.

"I can't let you guys get hurt," the White Ranger said as he slashed at another ribbon that was beginning to wrap around his arm. '_Damnit that stung!_'

"We can deal with the putties. You handle the monster. You're the only one who can. We'll get everyone out," Jason promised; his determination plain to see on his face. Kim nodded, wearing the same expression.

"Okay," White Ranger conceded. "But then you guys stay out of the building. I'll deal with the monster on my own."

"Sure," Kim nodded as she shuffled backwards, using the overturned tables as meagre protection. Jason nodded and followed after her, ducking down low to remain as out of sight as possible. From the corner of his eye, White Ranger saw Zack and Billy knocking down and destroying two putties, using one of the tale legs to hit the 'Z'. The White Ranger jumped up, landing a kick to the midsection of the monster, falling back to the balls of his feet, legs spinning as he hit its' face and neck. Every hit was like fire as electricity ran through the monster's body. Luckily, the suit protected Tommy from the worst of the damage. Still, when he jumped back, the legs of his suit were singed and smoking.

"Alright, bozo, it's time to end this. Meet Saba," White Ranger cried, holding his dagger out aloft. '_Please work'_ He prayed as he looked into its' face. The dagger glowed brightly, its eyes turning red as it turned around on its' own and red beams shot out from them, hitting the monster in the chest, severing one of it's' ribbon arms in the process.

"Alright!" The White Ranger cried. '_Now to finish you off_.'

"My arm!" Ribbonator shrieked, holding its' severed ribbon limply. "You destroyed my arm."

"And now I'm going to destroy the rest of you," White Ranger said, pointing as he slid into a fighting stance. "Enjoy a taste of Saba's Tiger Beam!" He threw out the dagger, beams of electricity wrapping around in a vicious whip that slapped the monster in the face, drawing shrieks of pain from it. It fell backward, crashing into the tables from the presentation which broke with a heavy groan and White Ranger watched as it burst into a thousand pinpricks of light, sparks flying apart.

"Yes," White Ranger said, looking around to see that all the putties had been destroyed and the place was clear. '_Looks like Jason and the others did it. Damn. The place is a mess.'_

"I'll have to help Ernie clean up," he said to himself with a sigh. "And Kim's project is destroyed, oh man."

The White Ranger's head snapped up, feeling a tingle of energy in the air, one that felt uncomfortably familiar. '_I know this feeling. Like, all my hair's standing on end and there's something powerful in the air. Magic…Rita's magic. No!'_

"Hahahahahaha!"

The White Ranger whirled around horrified as the Ribbonator's body disappeared, only to reappear on the outside of the Youth Centre, crackling with purple light and electricity as it grew to ten times its size.

"Alpha, I'm going to need the Zords." Tommy said, knowing his message would get across.

"Ayiyiyi Tommy, you can't call any of the other Zords 'cause you don't have the Power Coins needed to operate them," Alpha said in his usual electronic voice although it seemed a little more panicked than usual.

"What am I supposed to do? I need the Zords to defeat the monster," Tommy said, sounding panicked himself. While inside he was cursing up a black storm.

"I could re-route temporary power to one or two of the other Zords but Tommy it'll only be for a few minutes and it'll be a considerable drain on your energy. The Zords may not recognise you and listen," Alpha warned.

"Do what you can, Alpha. What can you send me?" Tommy said, closing his eyes and opening them again in determination.

"Tyrannosaurus and Pterodactyl. Mastodon and Triceratops are too banged up to even move out of the hangar-," Alpha said, pausing.

_'And Sabretooth Tiger is completely destroyed_.' Tommy finished, closing his eyes in grief.

"Send them in, Alpha," Tommy said.

"Ayiyiyi, they'll be waiting," Alpha promised, closing off communications with a click.

_'Alright, so I've got three Zords to make up only half a Mega Zord, two of which might not even respond to me and a giant monster destroying the city. Fun odds, as Rocky used to say'_ Tommy thought to himself as he crawled through the hole in the wall, running into the field just as the Zords came lurching through.

"Alright, White Tiger, time to bring 'em all together!" Tommy shouted as he jumped into this Zord. The console was still cracked in some places but Tommy's fingers flew over the buttons with no problem.

"Activate Mega Zord, sequence," he commanded, watching as the area lit up as buttons were pushed and the Tiger Zord compacted itself to fit the head of the Pterodactyl with the made by Tyrannosaurus. The Zords struggled to fit together like an imperfect puzzle as Tommy gritted his teeth, feeling them buck against his will, fighting the transformation and the power Tommy tried to draw from them. He could feel Pterodactyl screeching in his head, felt the resistance of Tyrannosaurus, bucking and roaring, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut in pain. It was like there was a stampeded in his head, pain pulsing and steadily growing higher and higher-

_'Listen to me. I need you to listen. I know I'm not Rocky or Kat but I'm leader of the Power Rangers and you will listen to me!'_

Tommy forced his thoughts into the Zords, praying that they would obey. It was with a slight incline where he let out a little groan at the pain that he found the resistance grew weaker and he gave a shaky smile from within his helmet. The Zords had begun to respond.

"Alright, time to finish you, ugly," Tommy said, voice reverberating in the empty control room. He refused to look at the empty chairs and manoeuvred the Zord to kick and punch any bit of Ribbonator flesh it could get its' metal hands on. Ribbonator struck out in retaliation, whipping and tightening around the arms of the mismatched Zord. Sparks flew from the control panel and Tommy gritted his teeth, hands gripping the joysticks like leashes used to rein in unruly dogs. The Zords bucked against the pressure.

'_Come on, Oliver. Just one strike. If only I knew if it had a weak spot. Where did I hit it before?'_ Tommy chanted to himself as the control room shook from a direct hit that left Pterodactyl shrieking in his head and the alarms blaring that they lost the use of one arm.

'_Okay, hit the head, the face and the chest- Chest, that's it! It got weaker when I hit the ribbon on its chest!'_

"Alright, attack the chest. Should be easy enough, I only need one arm for that. Full power to Pterodactyl guns. Fire!"

The machines hummed to life, buzzing as it charged the left arm, shoving it straight in front as beams of pure pink light burst forth, hitting Ribbonator in the chest, causing the monster to spark and begin to burn. It screamed. Its arms waving in frenzy as it fell backward, narrowly avoiding the building behind it. With a huge blast that pushed the broken Zord backwards from the force, Ribbonator burst into beams of electricity, hitting everything as it exploded, leaving a black mark on the ground where it had lain.

"Yes," Tommy muttered to himself, relieved. "Whoah!"

He rushed to grab onto the console as the Zords quivered and shook and eventually fell to the ground, knocking their lone occupant around, causing him to smack his head on the wall. Shrieks of metal as the Zords de-powered, slipping out of Tommy's mind with a nasty tug, making him wince. The whole cabin shook, smoke rising from the systems as Tommy crawled out, ears ringing.

"Tommy! Tommy, are you alright? Oh, ayiyiyiyi!"

Tommy became aware of Alpha's panicked pleas adding to the pain in his head as he held it with both hands, noticing his suit was blackened with soot and beginning to fade away.

"Alpha, I'm de-transforming!" Tommy said in panic.

"Oh, Tommy! Thank the Power you're alright!" Alpha said, sounding relieved. "You went offline for minute. What happened?"

"The Zords just... broke apart. I doubt Pterodactyl's going to be flying anytime soon." Tommy said, staring disconsolately at the smashed and bent pile of metal that had once been Pterodactyl and Tyrannosaurus. White Tiger seemed to be faring better but it remained on the ground, smoke rising from the places it had been hit.

"Ayiyiyiyi, I was afraid of this. The Zord's don't have enough power without the Power Coins. How are you doing?" Alpha said.

"I'm fine," Tommy said even though he could feel the ripples as he flashed between White Ranger and his civilian clothes. "But I'm de-transforming."

"You need to get out of there and back to the Command Centre. I'll take care of the Zords. When I gave you temporary control of the other Zords, it caused a considerable drain on your power and possibly some damage to your Power Coin."

"What are you saying?" Tommy asked in dread.

"There's a possibility that the White Ranger coin won't work anymore. You need to get here immediately."

"I'm on my way," Tommy promised quietly. He could feel the tingle as he flickered back and forth as he tried to teleport. Tommy could feel his frustration and panic mounting as he heard sirens in the distances, far off in reality but he could see them in his mind's eye. He clenched his teeth and _yanked_ on the power he could feel hovering above his skin. There was a familiar lurch and then he was in the Command Centre. Tommy didn't even have time to smile to reassure Alpha before his vision grew clouded and there was brief feeling of weightlessness before he was swept away by darkness.


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes: I wrote this chapter in Greece so if it seems a bit _chaotic_, it's because I didn't have the rest of the story to look back on to make sure I was keeping with continuity. So, enjoy and you'll definitely see more because holidays are coming up for me!**

**DISCLAIMER: Do we really need to go through this _again_? Really? _Fine_. I don't own Power Rangers.**

Tommy woke with a groan, hands reaching up to grab at his head which felt like it was being hammered into by a metal spike. He looked up at a white ceiling, feeling a gentle breeze cool his suddenly sweaty skin as he heard the _caw_ of seagulls from outside. He sat up with a wince, pushing his back against the bed board, letting the sheet fall to his waist.

'_The last thing I remember is the Command Centre and something about my Power Coin,_' Tommy thought to himself, his eyes flying open in panic. '_My Power Coin? Where is it?_' His hands scrambled at his bedside table where he usually left it. His room was the same as he left it, although all the boxes had been removed but Tommy was too busy panicking about his morpher and coin to pay much attention. His eyes roved around the room in feverish panic, finally alighting on the open window. There resting on the desk was his morpher.

'_Thank the Power'_ Tommy said, falling back against the headboard in relief. He ran his hands through his hair, feeling the bump on his forehead, prodding it with a wince.

"You're awake," a voice said. Tommy's head snapped up, taking in the silent form by the door. His face was partially obscured by the shadows but Tommy could recognise the soft, almost plaintive tone anywhere. Even when the boy joked, it was more a gentle tease than any sort of mocking.

"Adam," Tommy breathed, eyes searching over the body as he threw his legs out of bed, getting ready to rush his friend.

"You were hurt pretty bad," Adam said, tonelessly, holding up a hand to keep Tommy away. "You should probably take it easy."

"You're here," Tommy said, unable to think of anything to say. His dead friend was standing in front of him, looking unharmed and unhurt.

"Should I leave?" Adam responded, finally some humour in his voice. "You seem surprised."

"Adam, you're dead. I saw you die," Tommy admitted, unable to keep the pain and horror out of his voice.

"Wow, that's some bump you took," his friend said, coming over to rest a gentle hand over Tommy's injury. Tommy could feel the heat from his skin as it brushed gently over his own. _Alive._

"You…Rocky and Aisha…" Tommy stammered out, looking up into the dark eyes.

"Down the hall. They wanted to make sure you were okay but Aisha was hovering and Rocky was making a lot of noise. Why? Were they dead, too?" Adam answered, gesturing to the open doorway.

'_Rocky. Aisha. They're okay'_ Tommy thought, giddy, fearful and panicked all at the same time, each emotion trying to take precedence but only succeeding in making him feel ill. He pushed Adam's hand away and tried to get out of bed but was stalled by that very same hand on his chest.

"I need to see them. Please," Tommy said to Adam desperately.

"Tommy, they're fine, although I'm more worried about you and thinking that we're all dead," Adam said in concern, sitting down on the bed.

"Not all. Just you, Rocky and Aisha. Does Kat...? Justin? Is he okay?" Tommy blurted out, looking at Adam fearfully, dreading the answer.

"Maybe we should have taken you to a hospital," Adam muttered, eyebrows furrowing in concern.

"No hospitals," Tommy shook his head. '_Not ever again_.'

"Kat and Justin are fine. Everyone's fine. It's you we're all worried about," Adam said.

"Me?" Tommy echoed, "why?"

"That bump you took was pretty bad." Adam managed to say before he was interrupted by the beeping of the communicator. "I read you, Alpha."

"Adam, you and the other Rangers are needed right away," Alpha's mechanized voice said through the silver watch strapped onto Adam's wrist.

'_Everything's okay'_ Tommy let out a sigh of relief, inwardly thanking any deity out there that would listen. '_The Rangers are okay. My _friends _are alive and we're doing what we should be doing. Protecting the Earth'_

"On our way," Adam promised. He stood up from the bed and Tommy made to follow.

"Where are you going?" Adam asked, sounding confused and a bit cold. Tommy frowned and gestured to the desk where his morpher was.

"Alpha needs us," Tommy said.

"Not _you_," Adam said, cruelly. "Why would Alpha need an ex-Ranger who used to work for Rita?"

"But," Tommy's eyes widened in disbelief. "I'm leader of the Power Rangers. I'm the White Ranger."

Adam laughed cruelly and glared at Tommy in contempt, "you're not a Ranger, Tommy. Did you really think we would accept you after all the people you killed? After you nearly killed _us_?"

"No," Tommy shook his head. "You forgave me. You took me home and you asked me to fight alongside you. To make amends."

"Nothing in the world could make amends for all the lives you ruined, all the people you destroyed while you simpered at Rita like a lovesick fool. We didn't take you home. That hit Rocky gave you must have knocked what few brain cells you had left. Always so forgetful ," Adam mocked.

"What are you talking about? This is _my_ house," Tommy said, looking around at the familiar walls.

"Poor Tommy," Adam shook his head, sounding almost gentle even though his eyes were clearly looking satisfied. "This isn't your house. It's your prison."

"No," Tommy shook his head in denial. Yet even as he denied it, the walls fell away to turn grey and become the bars of a cage. The window and gentle breeze changed to the hum of the force field surrounding the detention centre. The soft bed turned into a hard cot in the centre of the room as the ground turned to cement under his bare feet, the cold biting through the skin and making him shiver.

"We couldn't leave a dangerous criminal like you wandering around and Zordon wouldn't let us execute you as a murderer because you're human," Adam informed him, kind face melting away to show a cruel smile.

"No," Tommy denied again, although horror was creeping into his voice. "You're my friends."

"Yes, and you killed us," Adam agreed with a melancholy smile. He cocked his head to the side and Tommy drew back as his flesh blistered and burnt, covering the left side of his face in sores that bled and cracked, mouth scarring as half the side of his hair was burnt and black even though no hair laid on the top. Flesh peeled away to reveal bright red muscle and tissue and finally bone until the kind boy wore a skeleton smile. Tommy fell back, hitting the bed and barely registering his knees smacking into the unforgiving ground, shaking his head, eyes wide in terror and pain.

"No," he whispered. "No, I didn't-"

"You did," Adam corrected. He went over to the table in the corner where Tommy's morpher lay. The coin glinted at him, mocking as Adam plucked it up and hid it from Tommy's sight by his charred hand.

"You won't be needing this," the skeleton-boy gave one last smile over his shoulder as he walked out of the cell like he was a ghost, dissolving into wisps of smoke. Tommy screamed.

Tommy shot awake with a bolt as he glanced feverishly around his dark room. Boxes were piled in the corner, the desk was still in its' disabled parts from when Tommy had given up days before, unable to stare at the small writing any longer. His door was shut tight and the only light was coming from the full moon out the window. He put a hand to his chest, surprised to find it heaving for breath as his heart raced in terror. He threw his eyes around the room, glancing to the side where he saw his morpher and coin lying innocently on the lacquered surface. Hands shaking, Tommy grabbed them, cradling them even as he pressed the button for his communicator.

"Alpha, Zordon," Tommy whispered, fearfully. '_Please come in._'

"Tommy? Thank goodness, you're alright!" Alpha's computer voice sounded relief and Tommy let out the breath he had been holding, stuttering in his lungs.

"Alpha. Is Zordon there?" Tommy sighed in relief.

"I'M HERE, TOMMY. HOW ARE YOU FEELING?"

Tommy's heart still raced but he could feel relief making him limp as he heard his mentor's voice.

"What happened?" Tommy asked, trying to push the dream out of his mind.

"POWERING THREE ZORDS WAS TOO MUCH OF A STRAIN ON YOUR OWN POWER. YOU TELEPORTED TO THE COMMAND CENTRE AND COLLAPSED. ALPHA HAD TO POWER UP YOUR COIN TO HEAL YOU."

"But my coin? It's alright? I can still transform, right?" Tommy asked, a bit desperately.

"OF COURSE. ALTHOUGH, I WOULD CAUTION YOU TO TAKE IT EASY FOR A WHILE."

"Yeah, well I would but Zedd and Rita just don't seem to understand time outs," Tommy muttered, humourlessly.

"TIME OUTS?"

"Nevermind," Tommy shook his head. "I just want to make sure I can still morph the next time a monster comes at me."

"YOU CAN BUT TOMMY; YOU TOOK A HUGE RISK TO YOUR OWN PERSONAL SAFETY BY POWERING THREE ZORDS BY YOURSELF. YOU NEARLY SLIPPED INTO A COMA, ONE THAT YOU MOST LIKELY WOULD NOT HAVE AWOKEN FROM."

"What was I supposed to do, Zordon?" Tommy said. "Let that monster run around. I took an oath as a Ranger to defend the Earth from Zedd and Rita."

"Zordon's not suggesting anything bad, Tommy," Alpha's said, ready to smooth things over. "Just that you take it easy with transforming. Ayiyiyi, maybe we do need new Rangers."

"No!" Tommy shouted, glancing around as if someone were listening. But the house was silent; his Uncle John was still away. "I can handle it."

"OBVIOUSLY YOU CAN'T. YOU TAKE RISKS TOMMY, RISKS THAT THREATEN YOUR LIFE. YOU CAN'T DO EVERYTHING ON YOUR OWN."

"I'm tired," Tommy said, suddenly feeling weary- of this conversation and his head had begun to throb, no doubt from the injury- continuing, "Can we talk about this later?"

"Of course, Tommy," Alpha assured. "We can talk when you're feeling better."

"Thanks," Tommy said, feeling his affection swell for the kind Robot. Alpha always understood.

"AGREED. WE CAN RESUME THIS CONVERSATION WHEN YOU'RE FEELING BETTER. ALTHOUGH, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOUR MORPHER."

"Why?" Tommy swallowed around the sudden fear in his throat; his heart began to beat a drumming song against his ribs. He could still see skeletal Adam's cruel smile as he stole his morpher. _'It was just a dream.'_

"I'D LIKE ALPHA TO LOOK IT OVER TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT THERE IS NO LASTING DAMAGE."

"I'm sure it's fine," Tommy said hurriedly. "Anyway, I gotta go…Good night!"

"Good night, Tommy, pleasant drea-"

Tommy cut off the cheery robot. _'That's the second time I've hung up on them'_ He thought to himself, dully. _'What's wrong with me? When did I start running away from them?'_

Knowing that he wouldn't get anymore sleep tonight and resigning himself to that fate, Tommy left his bed, slipping on his running shoes and sweats and left the room. His morpher and communicator were safely stowed in the pocket of his pants and Tommy could feel their reassuring weight every time his feet pounded the pavement as he ran, out the door and into the night air.

Tommy thought that the day couldn't get any worse. He had arrived at school, sleep-deprived and looking hungover which apparently warranted a talk with the vice principal. After assuring the man that he was fine, he missed a pop quiz in History class. He forgot his lunch and his wallet, Trini offered to share hers but Tommy declined. There was a mini-birthday party going on for some of the cheerleaders in the Home Ec. room and Tommy snuck in to steal some of their food – chips, chicken fingers and cake-; he thought he saw Zack do the same but didn't bother sticking around to find out. So, really he was looking forward to going home and taking a nap. Too bad, Zedd seemed to have other plans.

Goldar grinned down at him menacingly, fangs glinting in the dark Simian-like face as he pressed his armoured boot tighter into Tommy's chest, making the boy wince and grit his teeth. He was decked in the White Ranger armour, able to transform before the big ape came swinging that big sword of his, and that was the only thing that was saving him from having his chest crushed into splinters. Tommy's fingers stretched to reach the hilt of Saba, just barely skimming the surface.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Goldar growled in that gravelly voice of his.

"Nothing's changed at all, Goldar. You still weigh a ton," Tommy grunted out, feeling his breath beginning to cut off as the monkey increased the pressure.

"You're right, you're still flat on your back, underneath my feet," Goldar grinned scarily. Tommy remembered their spars well when he had been the evil Green Ranger; Goldar always thought that he won the fight the minute Tommy was on his back.

"Yeah, and you still talk too much," Tommy said as he gripped Saba's handle and dug the blade into the side of Goldar's armour where the flesh was a pale blue. The ape-man screamed in pain, dropping his sword to the ground as he clutched at the fresh wound. Tommy flipped to his feet, slipping into a fighting stance despite the burning pain in his lungs.

"Oooh, you'll pay for that," Goldar promised darkly, swinging his sword in an arc that would've caught Tommy if the youth hadn't jumped away from it. Tommy spun with an uppercut which Goldar deftly blocked as he planted a foot in Tommy's chest, in the same top where his foot had been resting just moments before. Tommy twisted away; landing two kicks in quick succession in Goldar's wounded side. Goldar howled, frantically slashing and stabbing at whatever piece of Tommy he could get at. Tommy dodged, twisting his body out of the way of the sword and the crazy ape-man-flying-thing that was wielding it with deadly strength. Tommy's fist went flying into Goldar's face. He jumped back, wincing as he felt the bones in his hand crack against the golden helmet. _'Damn, talk about a hard head_,' Tommy thought to himself, gritting his teeth against the pain.

"You think that a few hits will stop me, Ranger? Lord Zedd has given me gifts for killing your friends. Gifts that I will use to kill you," Goldar laughed, hands clasping at the golden pyramid around his neck. Tommy could feel the strong power emanating from the pendant, as surely as he could see the waves of purple lightning wrapping them like a cloak around Goldar. Tommy took a step back, steeling himself as Goldar raced towards him, planting a fist in Tommy's stomach and then kicking him in the side, fists and feet blurring as Tommy tried frantically to dodge and strike back.

'_Damn, he's fast. Faster than the big ape was before_,' Tommy thought to himself, flipping out of the way of a sword slash that was aiming for his neck. '_Talk about a close shave'_

Tommy screamed as electricity coursed through his body from the blast from Goldar's sword. He could feel the power stripping his flesh raw with liquid fire and sanding it over with salt. He fell back onto his knees, forcing back the bile that rose in his throat and his head swimming. Goldar's sword came swinging and Tommy barely had enough strength to roll away; it sliced the arm of his suit, the armour breaking like severed thread. The Ranger's eyes widened from behind his helmet; the material the suit was made out of was supposed to be indestructible. Goldar's sword had _never_ cut it before. _What the hell kind of power boost did Zedd give the alien-monkey?_

"Zordon, Alpha, are you seeing this?" Tommy asked, speaking into his helmet.

"We read you, Tommy," Alpha assured. Tommy could hear the clacking of computer keys in the background as Alpha spoke.

"Goldar's got some kind of power boost. It's like he's become faster and stronger all of a sudden. He's got a pendant or something," Tommy said, a bit desperately as he asked for guidance.

"THE PENDANT THAT GOLDAR HAS IS CALLED THE ULTIMATE POWER. TO DEFEAT HIM YOU MUST REMOVE THE PENDANT. THE MOMENT YOU TOUCH IT WE WILL TELEPORT YOU IMMEDIATELY TO THE COMMAND CENTRE. THE POWER MUST NOT REMAIN IN ZEDD'S HANDS. DO YOU UNDERSTAND, TOMMY?" Zordon commanded.

"Yeah, I got it," Tommy said. "I'll get the pendant and defeat Goldar. No worries."

"Enough talking, Ranger," Goldar said, pointing his sword at Tommy. "It's time for you to die." With that, he slashed his sword, power flying through the air and slicing Tommy in the middle, causing him to yell in pain. He fell to his back, Goldar's blade coming down right where Tommy's head used to be. Tommy kicked Goldar in the face, hitting the bottom of his foot into the soft fleshy part under his chin and causing the flying ape to growl as his head snapped back. With a grunt, Tommy flipped to his feet, striking out viciously with a scissor kick and flipping over Goldar's head to shoot a flying kick at the same spot on the other side. Goldar spun sluggishly, arms stretching to catch at the annoying White Ranger bug. Tommy flipped back over Goldar's head, throwing out his left leg in a savage drop kick which Goldar caught with an evil grin. Tommy's eyes widened and he had no time to say anything witty as he was flung by his foot to crash into a bunch of trees.

Tommy shook his head, feeling his back ache and the sting of thousands of tiny cuts as he got to his feet. Goldar was there in an instant, leg ploughing into Tommy's middle while his huge meaty fist grabbed at Tommy's throat, holding him in place against the broken tree. Tommy's gloved hands scrabbled uselessly at the claws around his throat, cutting off his air even as the nails pierced the skin, cutting through the fabric.

"Not so tough, now are you, Tommy?" Goldar mocked, grinning savagely, eyes pinpricks of yellow light as they took in Tommy's captured form with unsuppressed glee. Tommy's struggles were useless; his feet scrabbling against Goldar's armour, pushing against to try to gain some leverage or loosen the hold around his throat. Goldar just laughed, grip tightening, practically twisting Tommy's neck right off his head. Even as Tommy desperately fought, breath coming out in panicked pants, Goldar continued to laugh at the fly he had caught in his web.

"No witty quips, Ranger? No last minute retorts?" Goldar mocked, smirking down at the helpless Power Ranger.

Tommy's hands moved up from around Goldar's hands, feeling the pressure increase as his hands shook, moving up Goldar's arm and grasping onto the flying ape's shoulders. Goldar increased the pressure and Tommy's hands stuttered in their movement. Feeling Tommy cease struggling and Goldar paused for a moment, hands no longer twisting for the moment as he glanced down at the seemingly unconscious Ranger with pure delight. It was all the reprieve Tommy needed. He surged up like a snake, helmet smashing into Goldar's face, causing him to throw his head back with a yowl of outraged pain. The glass in Tommy's helmet crunched even as Tommy's hands grabbed at the pendant around the ape's throat. Goldar seemed to see the movement to late and the minute Tommy's hands touched the metal it warmed in his hands and he sent the command to Alpha to '_TELEPORT!'_

There was a tug. Tommy's stomach seemed to jump into his throat and the feeling of pins and needles brushed along his skin inside his suit. Then there was an icy cold pain in the centre of his chest and Tommy opened his eyes to see Goldar grinning broadly as the sword in his hand crackled with power. He closed his eyes against the dizziness and he opened them to Zordon and Alpha's worried faces above him.

"One ultimate power, _check_," Tommy said weakly, his bruised throat clenching in pain as he talked. His fingers twitched around the pyramid pendant in his bruised hand.

"Tommy," Alpha said quietly, sounding horrified even through the ringing in Tommy's ears. He lifted his head, rolling it weakly to look up at the Robot.

"What?" He asked, trying to frown but giving up when it pulled at the bruises on his face. "What's wrong?"

"The power-" Alpha started to say, metal fingers clacking nervously against each other. "Oh, ayiyiyiyi!"

"What?" Tommy said tersely. "Come on, tell me what happened."

"TOMMY, LOOK AT YOURSELF," Zordon's booming voice seemed to grow softer as if afflicted by same horror that Alpha witnessed.

"Me? Wh-" Tommy said, glancing down at his hands. He could feel the power draining now that he concentrated, feel it growing weaker as he watched the Ranger suit flash on and off, revealing his broken and bruised hands. White power enveloped his body, coiled around his arms, legs and torso, feeling the power as it turned off for the final time. He felt empty as he glanced down at his bare arms.

"Zordon. Alpha," Tommy said fearfully, looking up at Zordon and Alpha's frightened and sad faces. "The power. I can't feel the power anymore. It's gone."


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes: I hit a bit of a snag with this story which caused me to write down the outline for it in its' entirety. Hopefully, that'll keep me on track but if it ever takes too long between updates, send me a message yelling at me. Seriously. I deserve it. And now we get to the fun part. I'd like to remind everyone that this is an AU which means that timelines, characters, words & general plot has been changed to suit the story. All will be explained in due time, my friends.**

**DISCLAIMER: ME NO OWN POWER RANGERS. **

Chapter Seven:

Alpha hovered over Tommy's battered form, running the scanner over and over the still young man. His face was a mottled blue of bruises, one eye was completely swollen shut and an angry red with bright red cuts underneath from the cracked helmet. Alpha ran his machine over, watching worriedly as the machine knit the skin back together until all that was left was a red line. The boy's left hand was lying down on the bed with its own private down surrounding it with healing energies, bathing it in a warm golden glow from the machine. Every inch of the body had been bruised and battered with little cuts that had to be individually cleaned. Alpha kept glancing up to see if was causing his young friend any harm but Tommy's face was still tense even within sleep.

"ALPHA. HOW IS HE?" Zordon's voice boomed through the silent cabin.

"His energy levels are low, his breathing laboured even after I repaired the damage to his throat. His ribs are bruised only and his left hand was broken. He will make a full recovery. But Zordon…his power coin is completely destroyed. The contact between the Power Coin and the Ranger is missing and its' causing some damage to the boy's natural healing abilities," Alpha said, turning toward his friend and leader with a nervous twitter.

"I AM AWARE, ALPHA," Zordon said, sadly.

"And Goldar's still out there, wreaking destruction on Angel Grove and there are no Rangers to stop him. Tommy can't go out there even if he could morph! Ayiyiyiyi Zordon, what are we going to do?"Alpha said in hopeless panic.

"WE MUST DO WHAT WE SHOULD HAVE DONE IN THE FIRST PLACE. WE WILL CALL NEW RANGERS TO DEFEND EARTH," Zordon commanded. Tommy twitched in his sleep but otherwise didn't move anymore.

"But how Zordon? All the Power Coins were destroyed when the Rangers confronted Zedd the last time! We only have the Pterodactyl and Triceratops coins left and those are severely damaged and losing power fast without the grid to keep them energized!" Alpha wondered, throwing his mechanic hands into the air.

"WE MUST UNLOCK THE ULTIMATE POWER, ALPHA; IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO SAVE THE EARTH. CAN YOU USE THE PYRAMIND TO CREATE NEW POWER COINS?" Zordon asked, looking down at Alpha.

"Yes," Alpha nodded. "But Zordon, it'll take a lot of time. What do we do until then?"

"CREATE THE COINS AND MORPHERS, ALPHA. I MUST CALL THE NEW RANGERS TO THEIR DESTINY."

"Ayiyiyiyi, Zordon," Alpha said, moving over to his station with the pyramid clasped tightly in his mechanical hand. In the background, the carnage Goldar was wreaking was playing on the viewing globe as the Elder from Eltar gazed upon with impassive eyes.

Kim's hair whipped around her face as she crouched down behind the rubble of what used to be her favourite shoe store on Holly Ave. Instead, there were screams and bodies littering the ground along with the cracked and scuffed shoes that had been on display. Outside, fire and electricity crashed as the alien known as Goldar and one of Rita's monsters called Claymen wreaked destruction. Kim coughed, clearing the dirt and smoke out of her lungs as she tried to see through the dust for Trini. Her friend had turned away just for a _second_ when the explosion hit.

"Trini!" Kim shouted, breaking into fits of coughing as she shakily got to her feet. Her knees were scratched and bleeding from when she had fallen, her hands stinging with scrapes from when she tried to catch herself from face planting into the ground.

"Kim!" A voice shouted, coughing hoarsely. Kim ran, tripping on the stones and rubble as she followed the voice. It lead her behind the glass cabinet and the shards crunched under her running shoes. Trini was huddled behind the remains of the counter, a little girl in blue overalls shielded by her arms, a gash on the little girl's freckled forehead. Trini's eyes were clear when she looked up at Kim's approach and Kim let out a inward sigh of relief that her friend was unhurt.

"Are you okay?" Trini asked before Kim could. Kim nodded, crouching down.

"Yeah. Is she alright?" Kim asked, gesturing to the little girl who stared up at her with unfocused and frightened eyes.

"Its okay, Melanie. This is my friend, Kim." Trini said in a soothing voice.

"Nice to meet you, Melanie," Kim said softly giving the girl a kind smile.

"Hi," Melanie said quietly, burying her face in Trini's shoulder shyly.

"Kim and I are going to help you up and then we'll take you to get your head looked at," Trini told the little girl who shook her head.

"I want my daddy," she said, tears in her voice.

"I know, sweetie," Trini shushed her gently. "But first we need to get you to a doctor okay? They'll fix up your cut and your daddy will be so proud that you were so brave with the doctor, yeah?"

"Your daddy will go straight to the doctors when he can't find you. So if you're there then it'll be easy for him to come get you, alright?" Kim put in.

"…Okay," Melanie said a bit hesitantly but she allowed Kim to pick her up for Trini to stand up, stretching out sore and aching limbs. Once Melanie was settled on Trini's hip, chubby arms wrapped around her neck as the child's face remained buried in her shoulder, the group started off, slipping through the open doorway and carefully over glass. Kim checked to see if there were any survivors but the shop was empty and she could hear the sound of the ambulance. _'Although that could be the ringing in my ears'_ Kim thought wryly.

The street was cracked and ruined, whole sections rose up from the ground while others were dug so far deep it was like a giant stepped on it to make the indent needed. The stores were either on fire or smoldering, smoke in the air along with the far off screams and pained groans as people ran, some broken and bleeding but all terrified. She spotted a familiar red tank top pulling a young woman out of a smoldering convertible; it's front end crushed into the side of another van, although the doors were open as if the passengers were in a haste to get out.

"Jason!" Kim called in panicked relief. Jason's head popped up, dirty with soot and hair sticking up oddly but otherwise okay. His jeans were torn at the knees and red whether by blood or scrape, Kim couldn't tell. But he was walking on his own and helping the young woman to her feet, supporting her with a strong arm around her waist.

"Are you guys alright?" Jason asked anxiously, looking over them both.

Kim nodded, "yeah we're okay. Is she alright?"

"She's out of it. I think she hit her head when she crashed. What about the little girl?" Jason asked, gesturing to the child in Trini's arms.

"Her name's Melanie. We found her in the shop. Do you know where the ambulances are?" Trini explained, holding the girl tighter in reassurance as Melanie let out a pained whimper. Kim brushed the little girl's hair gently to calm her down.

"Staying outside of the war zone. One came in and got blasted, that's it there," Jason said tersely, pointing to the charred heap that used to be Angel Grove's paramedics. "Anyone who could move already left, helping some of those who couldn't. But nobody's paying much attention to those trapped."

Kim covered her mouth in horror. She could see why Jason was upset. Everyone was just leaving each other to live or die. It was _horrible._

"We'll have to take them ourselves. Have you seen Zack or Billy?" Trini asked, worriedly.

"No," Jason shook his head. "They were in Sports Universe. I don't know if they got out beforehand, or if they're still there. We were supposed to meet up at Francisco's for pizza but-"

"We'll find them," Kim assured him, placing a hand on his arm and squeezing it. "Sports Universe is on our way out of downtown. They didn't go near the highway and so they probably went towards the paramedics, just in case."

"Yeah," Jason said, sounding confident even though his eyes were still worried. "Let's go."

"Right," Trini nodded. The group picked their way through the ruins of their town. They encountered a few other people but nobody stopped to talk.

"You need to look at my friend! He's bleeding! I mean, the ceiling practically fell on his head!" A voice shouted as they grew nearer. Kim could make out the red tents and white vans of the ambulances. People were on stretchers, most of them rolled away through the wailing as the paramedics rushed those in most need to the hospital. It was on one of the benches that Kim spotted Zack gesturing wildly to Billy who was holding a white handkerchief to his forehead while the paramedics dealt with more serious cases.

"He could be dying! Bleeding inside his brain for all you know!" Zack shouted again, a bit dramatically in Kim's opinion. Billy seemed to try to calm the frantic boy by tugging on his sleeve but Zack ignored him, grabbing onto a passing paramedic who looked a bit frazzled.

"He's bleeding in his brain! There's blood coming out of his ears! Look!" Zack gesticulated at Billy who was turning pink in embarrassment. The paramedic just looked a bit resigned.

"Zack, I highly doubt that there is internal bleeding in my head as you seem to think. There are no swollen or inflamed areas along my skull, from what I can determine. The ceiling did fall, yes but it was prevented from striking me by the metal shelves that housed the equipment for soccer. The cut on my brow is simply a slash and no cause for any serious concern. I feel no pain anywhere but a slight headache. Really your worry is unfounded and beginning to distress me. Perhaps, it is you who are suffering from a serious head wound and should be looked over by the paramedic since you clearly cannot hear me tell you that 'I. Am. Fine.'" Billy said, beginning to lose patience. The paramedic just glanced between the two boys a bit helplessly.

"How should I know what he said? I don't speak Billy and his translator's missing!" Zack said to the paramedic.

"Zack, shut up." Jason said tiredly with the gruff fondness that only he seemed to perfect.

"Jase! Guys!" Zack said with a wide smile as he noticed his friends.

"Billy, are you alright?" Trini asked.

Billy nodded, "affirmative. Although I could do with a little less people worrying about my miniscule cut."

"He said he just has a bit of a headache," Trini told the paramedic.

"The cut's really small. Doesn't even need stitches," the paramedic said, dabbing at the cut with the clean side of the handkerchief. "Can't even really put a bandage on it."

"Glad he's okay but we got two more for you to look at," Jason said, gesturing to the girl sagging in his hold. The paramedic rushed over, barking out orders as Jason laid the woman on the stretcher. She was taken into the back of a waiting ambulance, the paramedic assuring them that the woman would be taken care of.

"We need to find Melanie's dad," Trini said to the others, still holding the child in her arms. The girl gave a little sniffle but didn't lift her head from where it was buried in Trini's neck.

"What happened?" A tired looking paramedic came over to ask Trini, gesturing to the little girl.

"She hit her head on the ground when the store collapsed. Her name's Melanie," Trini explained.

"Melanie?" The paramedic asked with a smile. "There's someone who's been looking for you. Can I look you over to make sure your head's okay?"

Melanie blinked up at her with unfocused eyes and said, "Will you take me to my daddy? I want my daddy."

"Sure, I'll take you to your daddy but I need to check your head first, okay?" The paramedic said. Melanie gave a shallow nod and let the gloved hands probe the cut on her forehead. The woman taped a piece of gauze over the wound after cleaning it with antiseptic and then shined a light, tracking Melanie's eye movement. Finally, Trini carried Melanie over to the back of an ambulance where an older man with grey hair sat huddled underneath a blanket; staring down at his dirty shoes as a another EMT spoke softly to him. His head rose and his eyes widened, face breaking out into a relieved smile that pulled at the stitches on his face as he took in the sight of the little girl. He ran over, arms lifting her out of Trini's and into his own, whispering her name over and over again.

"DADDY!" Melanie cried in happiness, tears falling down her chubby cheeks. He rocked her gently in his arms, tears of relief pouring down his own face.

"Melanie, oh baby, you're okay. Melanie," the man cried into his daughter's hair. Trini felt her smile grow as she watched the touching reunion.

"Is she alright? Is she okay?" The man asked, turning to the EMT and Trini. The woman nodded.

"She's got a concussion and she'll need stitches but the wound didn't bleed as much as it should've. She needs to go to the hospital and we've got an ambulance waiting to take you both to Angel Grove General." The EMT gestured to the waiting ambulance. The father nodded, kissing the top of his daughter's head and turning to Trini.

"You found her? You took care of her?" He asked.

Trini nodded, "I promised that we'd bring her back to you. She was really brave. I'm Trini."

"Thank you. Thank you, Trini, for looking after my daughter," the father said effusively.

"You're welcome," Trini smiled. He gave her a grateful hug with one arm before following the EMT into the back of the ambulance. Trini waited until the doors closed before moving back over to her friends.

"This is crazy," Zack said, glancing around at all the injured people, the smell of dust and blood was thick in the air along with the screams and cries of the wounded and grief-stricken pleas by those still missing loved ones.

"I know. Does anyone know which monster attacked downtown?" Kim asked, glancing around.

"I only caught a glimpse of it," Jason admitted. "It looked like a giant bomb. It wasn't even that big but I remember it getting really hot and hard to breathe, like all the air had been sucked out of the room and then _kaboom_!"

"I think I saw something, too," Trini said.

"That means there's more than one," Kim whispered in shock.

"Where the hell is the White Ranger?" Zack demanded angrily. "He's supposed to deal with the monsters. He's supposed to save people and instead he just lets the monsters run wild!"

"Zack, man," Jason said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder in sympathy and to calm him. "I'm sure the White Ranger's doing the best he can."

"It's not enough," Zack muttered darkly, turning his head away.

"I hate feeling helpless," Trini said quietly, frustration leaking into her voice. Jason nodded his own agreement.

"Does anyone else feel that? It's like tingling, like my whole body's fallen asleep." Kim asked, looking down at her hands. Her friends glanced at her, watching in shock as her body was enveloped in bright pink energy. One second she was there and the next she was gone. Jason reached out in horror, hands grasping at Kim and he got the sensation of his stomach jumping into his throat, trying to warn the others before he too was gone. It was only a split-second and in the chaos of the medical area, no one noticed the five teens disappearing in a flash of coloured lights.


End file.
